


or did it eat the little girl?

by weewooweewoo (WaitWhatDoIPutHere)



Series: or did it eat the little girl? [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, Implied Bullying, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lesbian Chabashira Tenko, Meta, Non-Canonical Violence, Nonbinary K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), Survivor Guilt, Vomiting, just in case someone doesn't like reading about that, kaede is very briefly discussed but she's not really a key character, non-canon death?? but at the same time....canon??? you'll see, nothing too out there, same with kirumi!!, seance, teenagers say naughty words :( like fuck, tenko is PANICKING, this shit gets SUPER meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 42
Words: 227,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23294509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaitWhatDoIPutHere/pseuds/weewooweewoo
Summary: tenko hears a voice beckon her during the seance. she is sure that she is supposed to be hearing voices, but is a little confused why it is telling her to look up.-----au where tenko discovers the sickle and survives
Relationships: (maki/kaito is implied), Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: or did it eat the little girl? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873183
Comments: 1141
Kudos: 802
Collections: Completed stories I've read, Quality Fics





	1. alright, himiko! i'll see ya later!

“Okie dokie! Then I’ll blow out the candle now.”

The rock underneath Tenko’s forehead seemed to be getting less and less comfortable by the second. She dared not to shuffle around, in fear of ruining the seance that had been formed around her. So instead, Tenko inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the little oxygen found inside the iron cage. She only needed to sit still, yet her heart still pounded against her chest, unreasonably so. Despite being isolated from any potential harm, Tenko still found the instinct to run rooted deep inside her. Something sinister.

Surely the shaky breathing was not coming from a place of nervousness. Was it excitement? It must be. Tenko Chabashira was not scared, but excited. She was overjoyed for this chance to reconnect Himiko with Angie, finally giving her the closure she deserved and hopefully allowing her to move on peacefully. That’s why nobody else but Tenko could have done this. She wanted to be the one to do this for Himiko.

So why was she nervous?

_**“At last, at last, at long last...”** _

_It certainly isn’t good singing,_ Tenko had thought, holding back a cringe, _but if it makes Himiko happy…_

The hair on the back of her neck raised. Despite being indoors, in a cage, nonetheless, Tenko felt the presence of a cold breeze. A presence.

Tenko had barely realized she had squeezed her eyes closed until after she had opened them again, blinking at the darkness which surrounded her. From her child’s pose she was just able to grasp the tiny slivers of light coming from beneath the floorboards. She analyzed the cage as far as her eyes could take her, her body lay dead still and silent.

_Who’s there?_ She thought, mouthing the phrase silently with her lips. The darkness loomed around her. In its silence, Tenko felt a calling, swaying in time with The Caged Child song.

_Angie?_ Tenko breathed wordlessly.

She felt the darkness nod, somber and heavy.

_**“Young guard dog and little lost girl sealed within an iron cage…”** _

Tenko’s heart began to race.

_She’s here!_ Tenko thank to herself, body practically buzzing with an emotion she could not pinpoint, _I need to tell everyone, I need to-_

_LOOK UP_ , came a sharp thought.

The Caged Girl inhaled. That sudden impulse seemed to come from everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. Of course Tenko couldn’t look up. That would ruin the whole seance, and destroy what little hold on Angie that the group had. She could not live with herself if she gave into the urge and then had to be the one to tell Himiko that Angie was gone forever. She just couldn’t.

_HEED MY CALL,_ came the same thought, _LOOK UP._

_**“At mountain’s bottom, within the darkness. At last, at last, at long last…”** _

The thought rang in her ears, echoing powerfully. What if it was Angie? What if this is her final message, her last statement before an eternity in the afterlife, and it was telling Tenko to look up?

Would this silly voice bouncing desperately through her skull be a valid enough reason to ruin this seance?

Two sides battled over whether or not Tenko should give in to this impulse. One side was logical and firm, soothingly attempting to remind Tenko that this seance was for Himiko and it would change the rest of her school year if they succeeded. The second side yelled, kicking and screaming for her to raise her head, look above her, move her body, shake the cage and make a scene, look up look UP LOOK UP _LOOK UP_ -

Tenko slowly elevates. The guilt washes over her almost instantly as the rock, stuck to her skin, clunks softly to the floorboard. The haunting melody of the song outside hid this noise, however.

Wordlessly, she keeps the same pace as she assumes a sitting position, peeking around at the darkness. No threat. She must have been paranoid. She just ruined the seance for nothing, she’ll be in such trouble with the group, she’ll make Himiko cry-

The back of her head hits something pointy.

_**“How many will there be by dawn? Will there be two or just one?”** _

_OW!_ Tenko yells internally, reflexively whipping her head around and throwing her hands up in a defensive stance. The light slivering through the loose floorboards beneath her just barely managed to illuminate the insides of the iron cage. Illuminated it enough for Tenko to see her surroundings.

Enough for Tenko to notice the sickle.

She is drawn to it. Was this a part of the seance? What purpose did it serve to be right above her? A tiny voice from the back of her mind told her it was dangerous, but was ultimately pushed down as she reached out to touch it. First, she tapped the point of the sickle carefully, soon moving her hand along the curved blade and following it with her head until she sat parallel to it.

She was eye-level with the side of the blade, observing it carefully.

_This seance is absolutely crazy!_ Tenko thinks, exhaling with a light sigh, _I might as well let them know I’m not Angie. Maybe if I tell them, we can do this aga-_

The floorboard suddenly flies upwards, smacking a flustered Tenko into the side of the iron cage with a mighty _THUNK!_ The rock underneath her first collides with the sickle and then with the floor, rattling along with the cage.

_**“Will the guard dog run far away? Or did it eat the little girl?”** _

_What the hell??_ Tenko rubs her head, whipping her head around for threat and shuffling away from the floorboard beneath her, _WHAT the HELL?????_

There was no time to process. Tenko is breathing heavily, her mind racing with fear as she attempts to strengthen her stance. The scythe moved along with the cage, but otherwise remained strongly in place. The stone originally underneath her forehead now remained almost perfectly in the center of the circle.

_Your head was on that stone,_ came another distant thought, _that stone hit the sickle._

It was all so perfect. Too perfect. She really did try to convince herself that this was all part of the seance, surely nobody here had intentionally tried to hurt her. But in the end, Tenko couldn't rid herself of the thought of somebody wanting her own head to be pierced by that sickle instead of the rock.

_Oh, god,_ Tenko breaths shakily, _Somebody wanted me dead._

_Somebody WANTS me dead._

_**“At last, at last, at long last…”** _

The song ends in deafening silence. The echoing melody dies and Tenko finds herself breathing much heavier than normal. It is loud, raspy, nervous panting that bounces around the room. She begins to push frantically at the cage around her, desperately trying to escape, but the heavy weight of both the iron and the statue on top kept her trapped in the suffocating circle.

“Is the… caged child… Angie Yonaga?” Came Korekiyo’s voice. He sounded unsure, nervous even.

“ _Let me out!_ ” Tenko screamed, clashing furiously against the iron bars, “ _Let me OUT god damnit!!”_

“A...Angie?” Himiko squeaks.

There’s nervous babble before Korekiyo stutters, “This- This should not have- Himiko, you should not talk-”

“It’s _Tenko!!_ ” The Ultimate Aikido Master interrupts, “I’m _NOT_ kidding!! _Let me OUT OF HERE!!”_

There’s a moment of hesitance before Tenko feels a shift of weight above her. Judging by Korekiyo’s gargle of, “Shuichi-!”, it must have been the Ultimate Detective who made the first attempt to remove the statue from on top of her. It felt like the statue was crushing her. It felt like gravity had become much heavier, gluing her to the ground.

Shuichi, clearly unable to move the heavy statue by himself without snapping a muscle, sharply asks for those around him to assist with its removal. Someone must have approached to help, as the weight of the statue soon was relieved. Tenko was now shifting the iron cage uncontrollably, bouncing it as she attempted to lift it off of herself.

With a sense of dramatic flair, Kokichi whips off the white cloth covering the cage, unveiling Tenko in her shaky glory. The sickle flops to the floor.

“Tenko?” Himiko gasps worriedly, approaching the iron bars with the same manner one would have approaching a caged animal, “Tenko...what happened…?”

“The floor- the floor it went- I nearly- _Somebody tried to-_ ” Tenko can’t form a coherent sentence, panting between words and continuing to throw herself at the cage. At this point, it became a panicked repetitive action rather than an actual effort to free herself. Her shoulders ached.

“Tenko, please, calm down! We can’t remove the cage if you keep--” Shuichi begins, attempting to stabilize the iron.

Tenko chokes a sob. She’s scared. Tenko Chabashira is so scared.

“ _Let me out!!_ ” She wails again.

Shuichi looks into her eyes sympathetically, his mouth curved downwards into a worried frown. Himiko is behind her, on her knees, hands on the cage as if trying to sooth Tenko through the barrier. Korekiyo has not moved from his position, hugging himself and murmuring under his breath. Kokichi hovers protectively around the sickle, looking wearily at Korekiyo every so often.

After a joint effort from Shuichi and Himiko, Kokichi spotting, the iron cage is lifted. Before it’s even fully in the air, Tenko has scrambled out from under it, tripping over herself as she stands defensively, back against the wall and fists aimed at the crew.

Himiko attempts to approach again, hands raised carefully in front of her, but Tenko only stumbles backwards.

“Please, Tenko… We need to know what’s causing this.” Shuichi repeats, maintaining distance.

“Yeah, Tenko!” The Ultimate Supreme Leader chirps almost too happily, “What’s shaking?”

Tenko takes a fleeting moment to silence her breathing, inhaling deeply as to steady herself, “I- The floorboards- Underneath me, they flew me backwards!”

There’s a noticeable shift in the mood. Shuichi’s eyebrow raises.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“I was- I looked up for a second just to-”

“You _looked up_?” Korekiyo demands with a new confidence. Tenko flusters.

“Yes, I just- It doesn’t matter! I saw a sickle- The sickle that-” She points repeatedly at the weapon near Kokichi’s feet, “It was above me! It was positioned _above_ me!”

Shuichi turns to it, walking over to inspect the object.

“Huh…?” He mutters, poking at it.

“How did that get there?!” Himiko demands, turning to face Korekiyo, “That wasn’t there before!”

“It would have killed me if I hadn’t moved- it- it would have gone straight through my head-” Tenko continues.

It’s clear the Ultimate Anthropologist is attempting to find the right words, stammering over his own lips and hunching himself to appear smaller. Tenko has finally returned to her normal breathing, clenching her fists in and out. There’s conversation happening between the remaining members of the room, however all Tenko can hear is a continuous ringing. A blind fury. How DARE somebody try this. How DARE they-

“Hey, what the hell’s going on here?”

Miu’s booming voice breaks through. She has appeared near the entrance, staring, appalled at the situation in front of her. Behind her, K1-B0 and Gonta linger.

“W-What going on? Gonta help!” Gonta belows, pushing himself forward while Shuichi beckons him to keep distance with the Ultimate Aikido Master, who’s stance has not softened.

It doesn’t take long for the rest of them to appear, filing in one by one and adding to ever growing tower of noise. Tenko had not removed her eyes from the sickle, still unmoving on the floor next to Kokichi. Himiko tried to address her, but her pleas entered one ear and left through the next.

Without warning, Tenko turns on her heel and leaves the room.

There’s a cry, perhaps Himiko had called her name, but it all fades into furious white noise.


	2. degenerate creatures who betray others easily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tenko is reeling.

Tenko Chabashira’s Research Lab felt strange.

It had everything a perfect dojo needed: several spacious platforms that suspended high in the air, new tatami mats, even a collection of automated practice dummies. But as she practiced, fighting mercilessly and throwing kick after kick, she felt separated. As if the room around her and her spirit were in two completely different planes of existence. This type of anger wasn’t foreign, this anger that disconnected her. Her body was moving, but on its own volition. 

She tried yelling to regain her fighting spirit, just like her Master trained her, but in the end all of her battle grunts would turn into guttural screaming. Frustrated cries. Her own Aikido discipline could not keep her grounded.

She winds back her arm and swings. Once her fists collide with a pillar, Tenko realizes that she has moved involuntarily past the training dummies.

Blood from her knuckles began to drip to the floor. 

“A-Ah, there you are!”

Tenko flips sharply towards the door. Hovering wearily before the suspended platform is Tsumugi, a concerned Himiko lingering behind. It’s clear the latter is battling between approaching the Ultimate Aikido Master or keeping her distance, aware of what had happened last time she faced Tenko on the mat. Kaito and Maki stood under the doorframe, muttering amongst each other. 

“We looked everywhere for you… I- We were getting worried…” Himiko murmurs, barely loud enough to hear.

“Well considering everything I’m a _little_ angry!!” She yells back, throwing another swing at a wooden dummy despite her bleeding fists. Blood stains the dummy’s face. 

“Hey, we can’t be _sure_ that someone tried to kill ya,” Kaito adds reassuringly, stepping forward, “And if someone did, just leave it to me! I’ll kick their ass!!!”

Tenko kicks one more dummy for good measure then faces the gang with a mighty release of air, “I certainly don’t need help from _you._ In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of you _degenerate_ males who did this in the first place!”

“Your hand is bleeding.” Maki states.

Tenko looks down. She had barely noticed. Her fit of anger had rendered her practically numb.

“....Oh.” Is all she says.

“W-While I can understand your anger in this situation, I believe we should make our way back to the others. There is still a trial coming up.” Tsumugi suggests, beginning to make her way over to the mat. 

_Oh, right. The trial. Angie._

While Tenko never really liked Angie, in fact held quite the distaste towards the Ultimate Artist, she couldn’t have helped but hold a small amount of guilt over her death. Tenko had been the one who pushed for her classmate’s freedom, minus her moment of weakness when she decided otherwise, and vowed to protect her fellow female students. She was even starting to warm up to, only slightly, _some_ of the males. Shuichi was okay, she supposed, and Gonta didn’t necessarily intend any harm. 

All of her walls rebuilt themselves as soon as that body announcement started up. As soon as she looked at Angie Yonaga’s lifeless body, dumped unceremoniously on the floor yet peacefully still at the same time, all of that progress flew out the window. A pit formed at the bottom of her stomach, a sense of betrayal.

It made her feel even guiltier once she realized she didn’t feel as bad about her death as she probably should have. Only about the people still alive. She couldn’t bear to look anyone in the eyes, the overwhelming sensation of despair choking her as the group swarmed Angie’s body in shock. 

And then somebody, some _degenerate_ no doubt, had the gall to try to _kill her? While they were investigating the senseless slaughter of their classmate??_

“Korekiyo,” Tenko says suddenly, in an uncharacteristically low tone, “Where….is he?”

She’s met with silence. Surely, the others have already come to the same conclusion. He was the most guilty person in the school.

“With the others. Gonta is making sure that he doesn’t try anything.” Tsumugi answers. She is the only one looking Tenko in the eye. “We’re keeping an eye on everyone who was in the seance.”

“Himiko included.” Kaito calls from the back of the room, staring at the mage. Tenko reflexively shrivels, her face scrunching at the man. There’s no way Himiko could have done that, she even _volunteered_ to be the medium! She _trusts_ Himiko. She was her friend, and would never hurt her. She would never….

 _We…. We’re friends, right?_ Came a startling thought.

After all of that student council business… Did Himiko really ever forgive her? And she was so close to Angie, too, she must have been devastated when she discovered her dead. That’s plenty enough reason to-

“Nyeh…? You’re staring at me all strange….”

Tenko blinks out of her thoughts, realizing that her gaze had averted towards the mage. 

“Oh! I-I’m sorry, I was just thinking!” She apologizes bashfully, then immediately turns back to Kaito with a blinding fury, “How DARE you assume Himiko would do this! She’s too cute and little to pull a stunt like that!!!”

There’s a beat of general chatter where the group sparks discussion all at once. Tsumugi begins attempting to get everyone out of the dojo, hands making pushing gestures as a visual. Himiko says something… Tenko can’t hear her… but then begins talking about how the upcoming trial will be “such a pain”. Kaito quite nervously explains himself to Tenko, throwing words over to her about “suspects” and how “somebody in the _room_ had to place that sickle” but she chooses to blatantly disregard this and yell at him for being awful to Himiko. 

There’s loud footsteps outside before K1-B0 approaches the doorframe, his eyebrows, or at least, his robotic parts which simulate eyebrows, raised in concern.

“Excuse me,” He begins, loud and clear, “But I have been ordered to retrieve all of you. The trial will begin shortly and we think it is best if we all discuss this….situation further.”

And so, Tenko begrudgingly agrees, stomping angrily behind the group with her fists still clenching in and out. She follows on one condition: they walk in front of her. That way, the possibility of a sneak attack would lessen dramatically. And so, she spent the stroll to the dining hall trailing closely behind, drowned in complete silence. Himiko snuck the occasional glance behind her, checking if the Aikido Master was still lagging behind, her face unreadable. Other members of the group would also sneak glances at her fists, still bright pink from her training and budding with blood. 

“We’ll get those patched up for ya.” Kaito says delicately. 

Tenko whips her head upwards and almost forgets to glare at him. His expression has softened, clearly wanting a truce from earlier before they are both thrown back into the reality of their situation. 

At this point she doesn’t have the energy to reply. Her spirit has faded and she’s not sure where it's gone. Perhaps it was left under that iron cage.

 _Only for now._ She reminds herself, _You’ll bounce out of this. You’re an unstoppable Aikido Master! You’ll kick them all in the groin!!!_

She nods. Not at anybody in particular, mainly at the ground, but she nods.

_Just..._

Tenko raises her head to look Kaito in the eyes. Despite the smile there is little life behind his lavender irises. He is tired of this as well. He is so tired, but he still wants her to trust him.

_Be careful._

-=+=-

“ADMIT IT! One of you shitheads had to have done it, and all the odds are in _your_ favor!!” Miu shouted accusingly, index finger pointed condescendingly at Korekiyo’s nose. 

The class had assembled in the dining hall, dragging along a jitteriness and an air of paranoia with them. They had sat Korekiyo, Shuichi, Kokichi, and Himiko down on one end of the table, chairs facing outwards towards the huddle of the rest of the group. Tenko, once retrieving napkins to wipe up her fists, was asked to sit next to them. She objected quite stubbornly at first, but eventually obliged, sitting two chairs down from Himiko. She hated to admit it, but it made her feel safer that Gonta was standing next to Korekiyo, ready to grab him if he attempted an escape. 

“It _had_ to be you! That whole seance must have been a trap!!” Kaito agrees.

“I think we are getting off topic,” Maki interrupts, “The trial is for _Angie_ , not for Tenko.”

“Yeah! And besides, we all know Tenko is just yanking our chain!” Kokichi chirps. Tenko snaps her head towards him, bewildered.

“What are you saying, that I _made this up_??” 

“Well, of course!” He replies, “What danger did that sickle hold? Did it grow legs and start walking towards your neck?”

“No!! I- The floorboards _threw_ me into it!!! This is just like you degenerate males, not believing anything women sa-”

“Alright, you too. That’s enough.” Shuichi says pointedly, “Maki is right, we should focus on Angie’s case. We can go back to discussing Tenko after her trial.”

“The killer could be the same person…. Maybe they were going for a double kill?” Himiko suggests.

“That’s right, so this interrogation is definitely important!!” Miu yells, once again turning towards Korekiyo, “You better confess you fuckin’ creep!!!!” 

He says nothing. He has taken a vow of silence ever since he stepped out of the seance room, eyes pressed forward and unwavering. 

“I think we know enough about Angie’s case for the trial. Tenko should tell us what exactly happened… just in case something adds up.” Tsumugi says.

The room turns to look at Tenko, falling into a wanting silence. Tenko stares back for a few seconds, hesitant. She eventually locks eyes with Himiko, who nods at her, urging her to tell.

“Fine,” She sighs, “Korekiyo told me to sit in this turtle position and then all of ‘em placed an iron cage over my head. And then Korekiyo placed a white cloth over the cage…”

“Which is most likely when the sickle was placed.” Shuichi completes.

She nods, “Yeah. Then the statue was placed and they started the ritual.”

The haunting melody of the Caged Child song once again reached her ears, echoing through her skull. She is taken back to that seance room, laying uncomfortable in her child's pose, unknowing, naive. Above her, a weapon poised to kill her, to pierce her neck or maybe even her skull. She was trapped underneath the weight of a golden statue, positioning her for the perfect murder.

“U-Uh…Then….”

Her train of thought diverted. Angie’s voice in the back of her mind once again resurfaced, vibrant and clear. What once told her to look up now shouted at her to run away. Run away run away _run away_ , but from what? There was no way anyone could try to hurt her with all of these people around her, so why did she feel so nervous? Why was her heart once again pumping out of her chest? Run from what? Run from _who?_

One of the monitors clicks on and there’s talking but Tenko only hears mutters. Why was this happening? She’s not in any danger, so why can’t she get a hold of herself?

Before she knows it, everyone has shifted, beginning to make their way to the trial grounds. Tenko remains seated, her mind elsewhere.

“Tenko? Gonta and friends move now.” Gonta beckoned, extending his hand.

Tenko flinches immediately.

“ _Don’t_ touch me! _”_ She swats, slapping his hand away with her forearm and standing up suddenly, “ _Korekiyo! Turn around and face me!”_

The group falters, all pausing to turn around. Korekiyo does as he is told.

“I know you tried to kill me,” She begins, voice wavering and breathing heavy, “But why? What did I _ever do to you?”_

“Tenko-” Shuichi tries.

“ _Shut it!_ I want him to answer. He should stop being such a spineless _coward_ and tell me the truth!”

A beat. Nobody moves.

Korekiyo suddenly grabs for his monopad, initially alarming those around him but they begin to relax once they realise he was not grabbing for a weapon. Instead, he flicked through the screen, analyzing the words carefully.

“What’s he doing?” Tenko quizzes.

“He’s uh... checking the school rules?” Kaito answers, neck craned to look at Korekiyo’s tablet.

A wave of impatient mutters ripples through the crew, no one wanting to interrupt but at the same time being weary of where they had to be. Tenko stood, feet planted, glaring metaphorical daggers. 

An “emotional rollercoaster”. Isn’t that what Kaede had called her? It was all in good fun, but Tenko couldn’t help but think back to the Ultimate Pianist, a girl she considered her friend. Always encouraging others, the peacemaker amongst their group of classmates, which was incredibly important in such a tense situation. Tenko had admired her courage, her ability to remain optimistic in spite of complete tragedy. She followed her ideology of hope straight to her early grave. The Ultimate Pianist’s execution was one Tenko would never forget. All of their deaths, rooted deeply in her mind with vivid technicolor. 

Her fear of death was something that would always follow her. She tried her best to push it down, not wanting to let it cloud her mind, and she mostly succeeded. She had other issues to distract her, like Angie’s brainwashing and her cultish student council. She entertained herself with Aikido, chatting happily with her female classmates and always making sure that both their physical and mental health seemed steady enough to make it through the day. The threat of death seemed like a distant echo.

However, after the events today, death seemed inescapable. As if it was bound to happen, but she didn’t know when or where. Inevitable. _Inevitab_ -

“I see no rule which punishes a student for _attempting_ a murder,” Korekiyo begins, slipping his monopad back into his pocket, “So I suppose I shall come clean.”

“Wh-What do you-” Tsumugi starts.

“I was not the individual who murdered Angie Yonaga.” He starts, “However, I can tell you with complete confidence that **I did attempt to murder Tenko Chabashira.** ”

And with that, Korekiyo finishes and leaves once more for the trial grounds. 

Tenko pales. Surrounded by white noise. Blinding fury. Clenching hands. How could he be so nonchalant? _How could he?_

Of course it was him who did it. A degenerate male. She hates him. She hates _them._ How dare they make people feel so unsafe. Make HER feel unsafe. Make her feel like the walls were caving in, like her lungs could no longer breath air. Make her feel like pain lingered around every corner, preying, waiting for an attack. 

She hated feeling this way. She wanted to scream and hurt and punch and yell, anything to make this gnawing fear go away. This fear of the inescapable. 

_Your death is inevitable,_ comes a thought, _Inevitable._


	3. strength must be aimed in the proper direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part one of the third trial and tenko is not doing so great

Tenko was never great at class trials.

She tried her hardest during the last two, agreeing with statements that she deemed agreeable and recalling anything she remembered about the case that seemed memorable, but in the end she always felt…. Insignificant. She had defended  _ both  _ of the female culprits till the end, but no matter her effort they had both been found guilty. Guilty of a classmate’s murder. So perhaps her defense did not do much.

“If our ‘transfer student’ isn’t the culprit, then blame falls to one of us.”

However, this third trial proved to be an all time low in Tenko’s usefulness. The walk up to her podium was shaky, and her hands gripped the sides to keep her from tipping over. At the mention of death she paled, mouth dry and unmoving. She had spoken maybe three times, two of which were to curse out Korekiyo and the third time to make a quiet, stuttering statement about how people don’t return from the dead. Her angry remarks had been respectfully handled; her classmates let her yell at him but once it exceeded a certain time limit they considerately stopped her. They understand she was furious. They were too. 

“So that rusty katana was the murder weapon…”

Himiko seemed to be just as irate, maybe even more so, as the trial went on. Undistracted by Tenko, Angie’s murder now stood as her primary focus. Her copper eyes squinted furiously at not just Kiyo, but at anyone who the group suspected. She tugged her pointed witch hat frequently, shadowing her face and muttering angrily under her breath. Tenko wanted to say something, to provide some sort of comfort, but the words choked at her lips. 

“And Kiyo is not a member. She wouldn’t have opened the door for him.”

“So whoever killed Angie musta been one of the student council members, yeah?”

Student council. It all seemed so long ago. What was she angry at again? Angie…. Atua…. Student council…. What did she do? Even thinking about the word ‘anger’ would lead Tenko into a spiral, accompanied by that damn Caged Child melody. Trying to remember Angie gave her a headache.

“Gonta not culprit!”

“I’m not the culprit!”

“I’m plainly not the culprit!”

_ Why do they all have to speak at the same time?  _ Tenko thought, grimacing,  _ Jeez…. _

If only she could contribute something useful. She strains her memory thinking back to that scene…. The body on the floor, one wound to the head and one through her neck-  _ that sickle was positioned to stab your neck _ \- and then of course the katana stabbed through that wack Kaede effigy. Gold leaf was painted over the sliding lock on the back door. That door was locked, she also remembered. Hadn’t it always been? Angie only let people through if they were…

“I thought… Tenko did it.”

At the mention of her name Tenko straightened, her head wildly spinning with a headache. She spends a second relocating the voice of the accusation, Tsumugi, as she had been so far spaced out of the trial she forgot where people stood.

“That’s bullshit!” Miu objected, “Tenko can’t be the culprit!”

_ Thank you. _ Tenko thinks, but has no energy to say out loud.

“Why? It’s not that far fetched.” Maki questions. She is staring down Tenko, who in return refuses to meet her eyes.

“I heard Himiko say that Tenko was trying to betray the student council…” Tsumugi continues.

Tenko blanks. Crap, where were they? What were they talking about?

“I...didn’t do it.” Is all she manages, too embarrassed to admit she was lost. As soon as the words leave her mouth she mentally curses for making herself sound even more guilty.

“Considering  _ only student council members had access,  _ plus that whole overthrowing the student council mess, I think it's safe to say the culprit is Tenko!” Kokichi says, “We did it guys! Hooray us!”

“Shut it ya fuckin’ turd!” Miu yells.

They were talking about Angie’s Research Lab. The Ultimate Artist would only allow Student Council Members inside of her locked room, after they had passed an initial voice test. This carved the suspects down to Gonta, Himiko, K1-B0, Tsumugi, and… herself. Tenko had no desire to place blame on Tsumugi or Himiko, even if the Ultimate Cosplayer had just thrown her under the bus, and Gonta and Keebo were  _ significantly _ less guilty than she was.

“I didn’t go through that door, I swear!” Tenko racked her brain to think of an alibi, “T-This is just like you degenerate males, picking on a girl when she's vulnerable-!”

“Wait a second!” Shuichi counters, pointing at Kokichi’s shit-eating grin, “It wasn’t just student council members that could have opened that lab door…”

“Hmmm? What was it you said earlier about Kiyo opening the door, Shuichi?” Kokichi hums, “Unless you’re a student council member, you can’t enter Angie’s lab, riiiiight?”

_ Kiyo….opening the door…. When did he say that……. _

“I was referring to Kiyo. He….” A flash of hesitation ran across Shuichi’s face, “...Probably couldn’t have done it. But  _ you _ could have. Because I saw you open the classroom lock by picking it.”

“Ohhhh, that happened? I totally forgot.”

_ Convenient, _ Tenko snarls internally. 

Maki’s face darkens, leaning forward threateningly, “...So you’re going to pretend you don’t remember, huh?”

Kokichi giggles childishly, with a sinister undertone that made Tenko’s neck hair rise. Neither him nor Maki broke their heavy gaze. 

“Quit glaring at me like that. Of  _ course _ I remember.”

And then Kokichi looks over at Tenko. For the quickest moment, one so fleeting it felt as if it had never appeared in the first place, Kokichi looked sympathetic. Or perhaps, understanding. Tenko could not remember ever seeing such a look of honesty on his face, the minute she stepped foot in this dreaded place she had avoided his flamboyant amethyst gaze. It felt foreign, strange coming from  _ him _ , a miniscule look of compassion which seemed to motivate his next concluding statement.

“Yeah, I did it.” He shrugs, “I killed Angie.”

The class erupts into shocked chatter. Tenko releases a bit of air through her nose. She’s not sure why she was holding her breath, and she hates thinking she sighed out of relief. This trial certainly was not over yet, but at  _ least _ she’s been given more time to collect her thoughts as they focus on the Ultimate Supreme Leader. They have shifted onto another suspect, and Tenko is able to breathe.

Of course she was suspicious, she made a huge scene with Maki and Shuichi about that damn student council, talking about destroying it from the inside out and complaining about Angie. In fact, when she thought about it, she had the most plausible motive to commit this murder. As much as she wanted to pin it all on that asshole Kiyo, he really didn’t have any reason to kill her.

_ He didn’t have any motive to kill you either. Or perhaps everyone just finds you so insufferable. _

Tenko shakes her head,  _ I wasn’t the first choice for the medium. It could have been anyone. _

_ It could have been Himiko. _

“I thought that if I confessed, I could atone for my sins.” Kokichi says, answering a question Kiyo posed but Tenko did not listen to, “And it helped! I feel soooo much better! Pheeeeeww!”

It was almost as if that last comment was indirectly aimed at the Ultimate Anthropologist. Is that what he had tried to do, atone for his sins by confessing his attempted murder? Had he expected them to forgive him? Tenko could not comprehend any foreseeable future where she accepts his apology (this being if he actually _ gave _ one) and forgets. The thought of sitting next to him in the dining hall, passing by him in the hallways,  _ conversing _ with him as if nothing had happened made her sick. Tenko Chabashira would never forgive him. 

Would the others forgive him? Would they let him return to his everyday routine, knowing what he had tried to commit and could possibly do in the future?

_ You’ve all forgiven Kaede. And Kirumi. Who’s to say how far their mercy will go? _

“...He’s lying. I’m certain of it.” Shuichi confirms, and Tenko is whipped back into her current situation.

“Non non! Definitely not a lie. I killed Angie.” Kokichi flicks another glance over at Kiyo, “Shouldn’t you guys  _ believe _ the culprit when they confess?”

Shuichi goes through little trouble proving him wrong, explaining how the back door of the classroom created this “locked-room mystery” and the sliding lock which closed it could not have been closed from the outside.

“How was it locked from the outside?” Kiyo quizzes.

“The culprit used a certain tool…” Shuichi pauses, his eyebrows furrowed. He clearly knows the answer, however he needed a quick moment of recollection in order to recall. “The gold leaf katana that was stabbed into Kaede’s effigy.”

It was deduced that the katana had been stabbed into Kaede’s effigy, which then was spun around so that the hilt would tap the lock shut. Now that Tenko thinks about it, that doesn’t seem too unrealistic. The culprit could have attempted multiple times to get a good result. However, that couldn’t have been respectful to Kaede. First stabbing a sword into her then spinning her round like some record player?

“...which is why the culprit chose to strike at nighttime, as to avoid detection.” Comes Keebos voice.

“Yes, since the student council prohibited anyone from walking around at nighttime.” Maki agrees.

“Are you saying… it’s the student council’s fault?” Himiko delicately muttered.

“I didn’t say that.” Replies Maki, implying it was the student council’s fault.

Tenko snuck a glance back at Monokuma and his stupid little bear cubs. All of them watched attentively, Monokuma swinging his tiny bear feet over the side of his chair. Those cubs freaked her out to no end. Their relationship with their “father” held loyalty, however they still bickered and teased each other mercilessly, as if the situation around them held nothing out of the ordinary. Was this normal for them? Have they done this before?

_ Monokuma had made that joke earlier about the gold leaf “ringing a school bell”... _

“....then the  _ real  _ culprit would agree as well, ya get me?”

_ Real culprit _ . To think anyone else other than Kiyo could have done this is just... 

“....should we talk about now…?”

“We must focus not on the locked room, but on who entered Angie’s lab.”

Tenko shakes her head violently, attempting to focus herself on where she is now. If she keeps spacing out she’ll miss vital parts of the class trial, but her mind keeps spurring back to the past-  _ it wouldn’t have been a fast death, you would have bled out, unable to scream-  _ and focusing on unimportant things.

“I agree. Those under suspicion should explain themselves thoroughly.”

“What should we talk about!? What should we say to get ourselves off the suspect list!?”

The trial comes to a silence, as the remaining student council members pause to ponder an alibi. Tsumugi is nervously running her fingers through her hair. Gonta’s eyes are darting left and right, as if trying to visualize an answer. K1-B0 is looking down at his feet, hand stroking his chin in wonder. Tenko can’t stop looking at Kiyo.

“Not articulate with words, huh? Don’t you guys wanna prove your innocence?” Kokichi titters, “ _ Especially  _ you, Karate Kid. Anything you wanna say that may get you out of hot water?”

“I don’t...That’s a hard question…”

She was sleeping that night. It was 2 A.M. for Pete’s sake!! What an awful excuse,  _ anyone _ could say that. There truly was nothing she could say that would get her out of this, they would keep accusing her and then they’ll all vote for her and the real murderer will go free and there’s nothing that-

“She was with me.” Himiko says.

The crowd flips towards her. 

Tenko buffers for a moment, grasping to remember when she met up with Himiko that night. Every time she tried to remember, nothing came up. She was never with the ultimate mage. She was sleeping. Why was she trying to tell everybody that she was with….

_ It’s a better alibi. _ Comes a thought,  _ She’s saving you. _

“After everyone went to sleep there was a knock at the door… I heard Tenko’s voice through it and let her in…”

“No offense, but that’s a pretty dumb idea.” Kaito interjects.

“I knew she wouldn’t hurt me.” Himiko raises her witch hat to look over at Tenko. For the first time during the trial, the first time since that Caged Child Song song ended, Tenko felt at ease. “She just wanted to talk to me, and I wanted to… apologize.” 

Apologize. For what, exactly? The student council? That had been none of her doing, she was merely being brainwashed into thinking that her actions benefited the rest of her classmates. Tenko’s lips curve into a wavy smile, as a symbol of forgiveness yet out of gratitude at the same time.

“Is this the truth?” Kiyo interrogates. Both their heads snap towards him.

“I am  _ not  _ lying.” Himiko lies. 

“Don’t call Himiko a liar, degenerate  _ creep _ !” Tenko snaps.

“Himiko, stop it with your crappy lies.” Kokichi says, “You didn’t give two shits about Tenko before this trial...But now you’re like ‘Oh, no! Poor Tenko!’ all of the sudden. C’mon, really?”

“Kokichi! Enough!” Gonta warns. Tenko nods, ready to open her mouth again.

Himiko notices Gonta’s rage and quickly follows up with, “No...It’s okay. It’s no surprise he’d think that. I know I ignored Tenko before… But after everything that happened I realized… I should’ve faced Tenko...worked things out with her.” The pair make eye contact. Tenko can clearly see the mage’s guilt, her lips dipped and her eyes sullen. “That’s why I needed to talk to her...in case anything happened to her. Like...Angie…”

The room sulks. There are glances over towards the Aikido Master, knowing full well that something  _ did  _ happen to her and that Himiko could have very well never been given a chance to apologize. Imagine if she  _ was _ killed, with no chance of redemption. Kiyo nearly took away that chance for her, that degenerate  _ bastard- _

“...Our only option is to face her death head-on!”

_ Huh? Face who’s- huh? Damn it, stop spacing out!! _

Kaito has his hands on his hips, chin confidently upwards and eyes full of life, “Let’s forgive and forget, alright! I’m gonna help you guys out, so let’s work together to find the truth!” He nods at Tenko and then faces the rest of the group, “Not just so we can survive this trial, but so we can keep going and live on!”

Himiko’s fists ball up excitedly, with a sudden wave of vigor running through her. Tenko liked seeing the mage like this, confident and invigorated, as the tiny girl rarely had the energy to smile most of the time. This is what she missed, simply making her friend smile. And now that they forgive each other, Tenko felt as if she was allowed to call her that. Her  _ friend. _

A burst of determination sprung through Tenko’s chest. There it was. Her fighting spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like to call this song "jesus christ these trials are longer than i thought" by yours truly (ft. no thatswrong)


	4. violent crimes are almost always committed by violent, disgusting men!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part two of the third trial and i'd say tenko is doing a little better

“The fatal wound was a cut to the back of her neck from a katana.” Shuichi states, “But she also showed signs of blunt force trauma.”

“Is it possible the killer knocked her out before killing her?” Tsumugi questions, twiddling her thumbs together. Shuichi purses his lips, staring intently at the monopad in front of him in a pointed curiosity.

“Actually… now that I think about it… there was dried blood beneath the floorboards of the seance.” He says slowly, careful not to trip over her words. Shuichi shuffles quickly through his monopad, searching quietly. “I didn’t find this during the investigation, somebody else must have analyzed it in detail for it to be marked as evidence.”

“Gonta did!” He exclaimed, “Gonta want to know what happen after Tenko panic, so he examine under floorboard!” 

Shuichi finally finds the correct tab, nodding at the new piece of evidence. Tenko could practically see his gears rotating as he placed the pieces of the investigation in order.

”Is that...Tenko’s blood?” Gonta questions. Shuichi turns to her in question, flipping his tablet so that she is able to examine what they are discussing. Upon inspection, Tenko shakes her head.

“I was barely hit by anything,” She recounts, “I’m almost positive I didn’t bleed. And if I did, that looks way too far away from the cage to be mine.”

She had to hand it to herself, she had definitely been picking it up these past few arguments. The group seemed to approach this mystery in a much more civilized manner, and Tenko found herself assisting with anything she could, asking questions and providing evidence, however shakily. The trick behind it all seemed to be avoiding Kiyo’s gaze. As much as he stared at her (degenerate _creep)_ to throw her off, she would glance only forward at those she considered her friends. She would also flicker her gaze at Himiko intermittently, to which the mage would provide a supportive grin.

“Well, that’s weird. Why is that bloodstain dry?” Kaito asks, scratching the stubble on his chin.

“Perhaps it _did_ come from Tenko, and she didn’t notice?” Tsumugi says.

“No, it couldn’t have come from Tenko. We can use her fist injury as reference.” Shuichi concludes. Tenko stares down at her fists, red and healing. “If it _was_ Tenko’s blood, it would have still been relatively wet while investigating. She received her fist injury only a couple of minutes after the seance, and it took much longer to fully dry than the bloodstain underneath the floorboards. Which can only mean once thing: the bloodstain wasn’t from Tenko’s attempted murder...It was there before we started the seance.” 

“Are you trying to say that it was… Angie’s blood?” Tenko asks, shuttering at the words falling out of her mouth.

“Nyeh!? Why was blood from Angie underneath the seance room!?” Himiko exclaims.

Kaito nods in agreement, “Yeah, wasn’t Angie killed in her research lab?”

“Just because we found her body there, doesn’t mean she was killed there.” Maki says.

The trial ran a lot more smoothly. Even _Kokichi_ was being cooperative, which Tenko genuinely thought he was not capable of. That little man confused her to no end. Sometimes he provided helpful insight, however blunt they may be, and was useful in sniffing out guilty classmates. Other times he would fib for the fun of it. Tenko is pretty sure he has blamed Angie’s death on “spirits” twice now.

And if she was to be completely honest, the Ultimate Aikido Master did not completely disregard that possibility. 

She was a _strong_ believer in magic, and the voices which told her to look up during that dreaded seance could have very well been Angie’s spirit. Why Angie would defend _her_ , after everything they had been through, Tenko wasn’t certain, however she was positive that it was not her own thoughts.

“If Angie wasn’t killed her in her lab, then that opens up a lot more possibilities. We assumed that only council members-” There’s a clear indication that by ‘council members’ he meant Tenko, “-Could’ve killed Angie, since her body was in her lab. But if she died somewhere else, then we can’t suspect just the council members anymore.”

“So the culprit didn’t enter her lab, but waited for her to come out of it?” Miu questions.

She found it easier to focus on the investigation than the actual murder. Instead of imagining Angie, or rather Angie’s corpse, dead, lifeless on the ground- _they would have never been able to solve your murder and he would have been set free-_ she tried to piece together the events from the evidence found afterwards. Somehow, imagining the scene only from the aftermath disconnected it from the actual murder. It at least stopped her mind from wandering too far away from the trial as she kept her eyes glued to the evidence on the monopad.

“That’s it! She wanted a candle!” Miu exclaims.

Tenko nods, “She must have been using it for the Necronomicon!” She swipes through her tablet until she reaches the section titled ‘Necronomicon’, pointing at it repetitively. 

“I agree with that!” Shuichi says, “Angie must have went to that room to get a candle for the ritual!”

Miu high-fives herself giddily, flashing a massive goofy grin at Tenko who shyly smiles back. 

“Which means, Angie was attacked in the same room the seance was held!” Kokichi smirks, “Bravo, Himiko! Well done for choosing that room for the seance!”

“Nyeh…?” Replies the tiny mage. Tenko is ready to rip Kokichi’s throat out.

“If we hadn’t done the seance in that room, then Tenko’s mishap would’ve been in another room. If that happened, no one would’ve discovered Angie’s bloodstain under the floorboards.”

Tenko hated thinking that her near death experience was _useful_ in this investigation, however if anything were to come out of that experience she was glad it was beneficial. For her classmates, anyway. She found no benefits in almost being killed.

“Hold on… You’re all acting as though you’ve proven that as fact already.” Kiyo says, his eyes darkening, “You claim Angie was murdered in the empty room and then moved to the lab? Then how do you explain the large amount of blood in the lab? It may be possible to carry a body, but blood can not be moved.”

Tenko _hates_ his voice. It sounds like nails against a chalkboard. She hates how uncomfortable she feels whenever he speaks up. She just wants him to… _be quiet._

“As mentioned before,” Shuichi states, in an almost condescending way that made Tenko feel a little better, “There were two initial wounds on Angie’s corpse: one stab wound to the neck and one head wound. This means that Angie was first knocked unconscious in the empty room, then killed in her own lab.”

“I see! So that puddle of blood is from the killing blow!” Kaito remarks confidently, “Angie was attacked in the empty room, carried to her lab, and it was _there_ that the culprit finished her off!”

A murmur of agreement erupts through the class. Mostly every Ultimate has agreed with this logic. 

_Mostly_ every Ultimate, at least. No matter how hard Tenko tries to avoid him, she could not help but peer over at Kiyo, who suddenly looks a lot worse for wear. He is trembling quietly, his arms hugging his sides and his narrow yellow eyes wide. Nobody has noticed him but The Ultimate Aikido Master herself, and she suddenly feels so much more aware of her surroundings. The pit forms once more in Tenko’s stomach, her fight or flight instincts activating wildly throughout her body. _Run,_ comes that damn voice again, _run run RUN._

His laugh reverberates throughout the court, the snicker that comes from behind his teeth, “What are you all talking about…?”

The court comes to a dead silence, turning towards the Ultimate Anthropologist with curious yet suspicious gazes. 

_Guilty!_ A second voice comes until it is chanting in perfect unison with the first, _Guilty, guilty, guilty!_

“All...clear…? Wh-What is a-all clear…?” He is starting to heave, his words forming in stutters and his right eye twitching. “What is...What are you… A-All clear…?”

Sweat runs down his forehead, bucketing onto his collar in massive droplets. Tenko does not dare to break eye contact, worried that even the smallest glance away will give him the upper hand. Out of the corners of her peripheral vision, however, she notices Gonta looking over at her, making sure she’s alright. At least someone is looking out for her. But it’s not like she _needs_ his protection, or anything like that!!!

“Wh-What are… You all...you. You what? Wha- What- What are--”

His hands are clutching his head, and it looks almost as if he is struggling to keep his balance. Tenko’s right leg reflexively steps backwards. She’s not entirely sure which reason why: to position herself in a better fighting stance or to prepare to run. _Spit it out!_ She wants to say, _Confess! That would make this whole thing easier, if you were Angie’s murderer then you could be executed and nobody would-_

She takes a beat to inhale, reminding herself not to wish death upon her classmates. She takes another inhale to further remind herself that he was no longer a part of their class.

Kiyo suddenly hunches over, one hand covering his face while the other steadies himself against the podium. His vicious trembling comes to a sudden halt, his grip softening as he slowly raised his head up once more. His mask has been pushed down around his neck, his lips covered in a ruby red lipstick.

“Sweet Korekiyo, calm yourself… Their words are all hollow. There is no meaning to any of them.” The voice that came out of Kiyo’s mouth was feminine, smooth and unwavering, heavily juxtaposing his previous demeanor, “You must teach these ignorant children a lesson.”

 _HUH?_ Tenko nearly screams out loud, visibly grimacing, _HUH???????????????_

Almost perfectly, Korekiyo flips back to his previous gait, shaky and weak, mask again over his mouth, “Y-Yes, you’re right… Okay, I’ll teach them.”

It is clear the class has also been taken aback. Everybody stares at Kiyo with wide eyes, almost as if he had the head of a bat. 

“Wh-What in the world are you doing?? Stop that!!” Tenko attempts to order, but there is clear uncertainty placed in her words.

Miu’s hands have recoiled in disgust, being held very closely near her, “You’re givin’ me the goddamn willies…”

“Kehehe… Not yet.” Kiyo says to The Ultimate Detective, who looks like he would rather be anywhere but here, “Nothing is clear at all.” 

“I mean to be fair… you did try to kill Tenko..........” Tsumugi mutters, recovering from her initial shock, “It would make sense if you were the one to do it…..”

Kaito emits a low hum, “But why would he confess to that, though? It just seems too-”

Tenko is not paying attention, and Kiyo is definitely not either. His focus bore into Shuichi’s eyes, dangerous and filled with a new, startling confidence. He slams his wrapped hands on his podium with a mighty _WHACK!_ that makes Tenko flinch, then outstretched his arms in a t-formation, almost as if ready to embrace something. Or someone.

“It’s full of doubts!” Kiyo screams at the detective, voice unwavering and ignorant of Tsumugi and Kaito’s ongoing discussion, “Of mysteries! Of a _dense, impenetrable fog!”_

The Ultimate Anthropologist breaks his gaze for a moment. Tenko almost dares him to look at her. She is glaring so hard her face muscles are twitching, stance so planted into the ground that not even Atua himself could knock her out of this podium. _Run,_ screams a voice, high and pointedly. _Guilty guilty guilty!_ Comes the other.

“Angie _must_ have been murdered in the empty room!” Tenko all but growls, “Shuichi has made that clear already!”

Kiyo stares at her. His eyes are wild, his arms once again grabbing at his hair and pulling frantically.

“ _Nothing is clear at all!!”_ He shrieks at her.

Tenko’s fists have clenched so hard that the blood which had scabbed over started to bloom once more from her knuckles. Her teeth are gritted so hard together that she is afraid she may snap a front tooth.

“Angie was attacked in the empty room first… and  _ then carried into the research lab? _ ” He stops to give an airy wheeze of a laugh, “Impossible.  _ Impossible! _ That’s nothing but a delusion! You intend to poison our minds with a  _ delusion?” _

Shuichi never was one to flinch at arguments. Tenko could not ignore his capability to strongly debate his classmates despite how angry or irrational his opposition may be, strengthening his claims with evidence and facts. Tenko knows this first hand. She remembers arguing with him once, during the second trial, where she had defended Himiko’s Underwater Escape trick on the basis that “water would have gone everywhere”. Her second strongest argument was “stop bullying Himiko or I will Punch You in the Face”. 

She let her emotions get the best of her, that’s for sure. She always has. Penting up her feelings just led to bad things with her, unbridled frustration with herself and others and a hopeless feeling forming inside of her. She found it better to just sob. But now there were so many emotions piling on at once that she wasn’t sure what measures to take. Or who to tell.

“Angie’s two external wounds tell the story. After she was struck in the empty room, she was carried to the art research lab and  _ then _ killed.” Shuichi refutes calmly.

“You said the culprit carried Angie’s body and not a  _ single drop of blood fell?? _ The hallway and empty room had  _ no bloodstains! _ There was  _ no evidence anywhere, Shuichi!” _

“There  _ was _ evidence left at the scene! The bloody tape under Angie’s body!” Shuichi taps on his monopad, opening the tab labeled ‘Bloody Duct Tape’. Kiyo mutters something under his breath, however does not let out enough air for it to be heard by anybody else in the trial. “It was wrapped around her head to stop the bleeding while she was being carried.”

Maki turns to him with her blood-red eyes, “It was under the body. It’s most likely evidence the culprit should’ve gotten rid of… But since it was hidden, the culprit didn’t notice and failed to dispose of it.”

Kiyo is still, his stare pointing just above Shuichi, his breathing still heavy as if he had tired himself out.

“It must have fallen as the fatal blow was dealt, and ended up under her body.” Keebo mentions.

“Maybe… Atua did that for her… So that we could get justice…” The mage mutters, looking over at Tenko quickly. There’s a tiny flicker of hope behind her eyes, and Tenko does not have the heart to tell her otherwise.

Kiyo does, however, “Wh-What? Atua…? How long are you going to keep that up?” He is once again shaking.

“Now we know most of the mystery behind Angie’s murder.” Maki states.

Shuichi’s head firmly nods as the detective secures the final piece of evidence in place in his mind, “I’m convinced. There’s only one person who could have killed Angie…”

_ It has to be him,  _ Tenko concludes,  _ Please. It HAS to be him… _

“It’s  _ you _ , Kiyo!  _ You _ killed Angie!”

The echoing of  _ Run! _ comes to a slow silence, fading out and settling itself in the back of her mind. Tenko is finally able to admit to herself that the heavy exhale she had just emitted was in fact a sigh of relief. As awful as her heart made her feel about it, she was so incredibly grateful that  _ another _ one of her friends didn’t commit murder. 

She  wants _him_ dead. It is the first time that she  _ wants _ the culprit of a murder to die. Maybe when he is executed, Tenko can move on and live peacefully. Tenko can finally silence these damn voices in her head.

Maybe she can breathe again.

_ Guilty!  _ Angie yells at her in the forefront of her brain. She could practically feel her jumping around wildly inside her skull, dancing to her own chant.  _ Guilty guilty GUILTY! _

Tenko Chabashira met Korekiyo’s gaze. This time she would not be the one to break it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys this trial is LONG but thank you for reading!! i really do appreciate all of your comments and kudos <333
> 
> (edit: I NAMED THIS CHAPTER WITH THE SAME EXACT QUOTE AS THE LAST ONE OOPSJFKD)


	5. running away would just frustrate me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part three of the third trial, and shuichi has an answer

The rules of the killing game were laid out quite simply: if you murder another one of your classmates and get away with it, you gain freedom. 

The previous culprits had been convicted of one murder. _One_ murder. Of course, Tenko knew that the situation was similar to the class trial she was participating in now, but alternate situations played through her head, skipping and rewinding like a cassette tape. If _he_ had succeeded, and there really had been two murders, what would have been the point? One was already more than enough, so the second truly would have held no meaning. One was all you needed to be trialled for your innocence. 

“...I think that the murder was an accident.” Shuichi had clarified, “ _Angie’s_ murder was an accident. Kiyo originally planned to kill someone, but while he was making preparations in the empty room, Angie walked in…”

What a terrible, terrible coincidence. Angie Yonaga had been murdered, simply because she had walked in on Kiyo by complete accident. It was unfair. Kiyo had been setting up for _Tenko’s_ murder, but _Angie_ was the one who was sacrificed. 

“Why didn’t you stop there!?” Tenko demanded, hands gripped tight on the podium, “You had already committed a murder, so why try to kill me!?”

Himiko’s cheeks fluster with a red tint, “Once he killed Angie, there was no reason for him to kill Tenko!”

“He only needed to kill one for this game. Killing two is pointless.” Despite a rather serious statement, Kokichi’s smile still brims widely, “If you get bonus points for killing more, then sure. Otherwise, it leaves more clues behind.”

Tenko did not believe in pointless violence. She believed in defense, in attacking by any means only once provoked, being certain of their innocence (or rather lack thereof) before a fight. The thought of a degenerate male like him, first planning to murder her, then brutally bludging an innocent bystander to death, who had made a tiny mistake of walking in at the wrong time, made her sick. But the cruel reality of him not only committing one crime, but then actively deciding to continue with _yet another?_

Kiyo was a degenerate idiot, but he was not stupid. He knew that a second killing would have only led to more evidence being stacked against him. In fact, if he had not tried to murder Tenko, the odds would have been stacked against _her_. Being the only student council member with a motive, as well as having no knowledge of the blood stain because nobody would have checked under the spare room, Kiyo would’ve had a very high chance of making it out of the trial, blood on his hands but fresh air in his lungs.

He throws it away to harm Tenko. No matter the consequence, knowing that one murder was enough, Korekiyo still decides that he wants Tenko to die.

Korekiyo continued to stubbornly claim his innocence, “I will never acknowledge your allegations. Not a single one of them. For you see, there is no evidence that I killed Angie!” He titters once more behind the zipper over his mouth, “No, I will not acknowledge it.”

“Stop being such a _stubborn baby!_ ” Tenko jeers, “Angie walked in on _you_ trying to kill me! You’re the only person here who would do such a thing!”

In a manner that mimicked a child, Kiyo turns his nose in the opposite direction, “I will only acknowledge facts, _true events._ I won’t acknowledge fiction, _mystery._ ” His yellow eyes glare back at Tenko, to which the Aikido Master returns, “I won’t acknowledge...your deductions or _guesses._ ”

The mask covering his ruby lips is quickly removed as Korekiyo resumes a softer stance, body position much warmer, “Well said…” The voice that comes out is no longer harsh and condescending, rather elegant and comforting, “Good job, Korekiyo.”

“Good-” 

Tenko is unable to finish her own sentence. In a flash of blinding fury, she jolts to move off of her podium, preparing to pounce at the man. The remainder of the class quickly flinch to action, aware of the death bear behind them who is eager to hand out consequences, their arms out in warning and audibly gasping. Maki cautions her with a quick call of her name, which mostly keeps Tenko fastened to her position. 

“Yes...thanks.” Korekiyo mutters to himself, rather shaken by her threat.

“No evidence?! _”_ Tenko yells, “ _No evidence?! Of course there’s evidence, now come here so I can punch you in the-”_

“Tenko.” Maki repeats, her hand making a quick gesture. Tenko immediately shrinks, however fuming.

“No, Tenko is right. There _is_ evidence.” Shuichi says.

Kiyo sputters, sweat dripping, “What? You do realize bluffs like that won’t work, yes?”

The Ultimate Detective shakes his head, not at anybody in particular, yet confidently at the same time. It’s a look Tenko is all too familiar with: he has this case down. 

“The weapon that was used to knock Angie unconscious in the empty room… That weapon tells us the whole story, Kiyo!”

Korekiyo shrivels, gulping almost comically loud but then immediately regaining his composure as he slips his mask around his neck, “Hmhmhm… that’s not possible. I think you may have misunderstood. Apologize.”

Shuichi raises his eyebrow, but keeps his stance. Kiyo’s right eye begins to twitch.

“Come on, apologize.” He slips his mask back over his mouth, breathing heavily, “Apologize, apologize, apologize…” As soon as it was on, the mask was off again, “Come on apologize. Apologize, apologize. Apologize apologize _apologize apologize.”_

 _Apologize, apologize, apologize!_ Angie mimics. Tenko clenches her fists, digging her nails into her skin.

“S-Seriously, what the hell is happening?” Kaito stutters. 

_Don’t look at me,_ Tenko jokes internally.

Kiyo’s structured statements turned into wild and desperate shouting, holding little fact and even less evidence.

“I have nothing to admit!” He would scream over Shuichi, who was smoothly attempting to correct him, “You are simply wrong!”

The truth of the matter was simply put: the removed floorboard- _it’s the same floorboard Tenko it's the same one that nearly sealed your fate-_ was the damning proof that Korekiyo was the killer. That very floorboard was utilized to construct the seesaw trick which he had hoped would end Tenko’s life, but instead it only ended Angie’s, a blunt and inelegant death. Tenko found cruel irony in the fact that the same weapon that had been so carefully chosen, so carefully planned out, had ended up committing a sloppy crime filled with holes. 

“I seeeeee. And how do you know the floorboard was the murder weapon?” Kokichi asks, beckoning Shuichi to deal the final blow.

“There was a small patch of dried blood on the underside of the floorboard.” He answers.

“Angie’s blood?” Gonta asks. Tenko has the sudden, rather mean impulse to yell ‘Duh!’, practically elated that Kiyo has been found guilty, but quickly stifles it.

“Blood that spattered there when the culprit struck Angie with the board. But that’s not the only evidence that she was hit with that floorboard.” Tenko is enjoying this. She watches Kiyo shaking in his boots, utterly helpless, “There’s also the bloodstain under the floor to consider. For that to be there, the floorboard must not have been in place at the time of the attack.”

“Good point. Had the floorboard been in place, her blood wouldn’t have splattered beneath it.” K1-B0 announces.

“Kiyo’s _earlier confession_ is further evidence that the floorboard was used!”

“If the weapon used to hit Angie is the same floorboard that Tenko mentioned previously…”

Running off of Maki’s explanation, Shuichi quickly adds, “It means the culprit knew about the seesaw. So the same person who tried to kill Tenko must have killed Angie!”

Tenko can barely manage to choke down a snobby grin. That little stunt he pulled, his confident unveiling that he attempted to murder Tenko, had only placed all of the blame upon his shoulders. She so desperately wants to do something, _say_ something, a quick name call, but she knows that once the voting had commenced and Kiyo was rightfully sentenced, karma would reign havoc on the Ultimate Anthropologist. 

Even if she had wanted to speak up, Kiyo would not let her. His words had escaped him, rendering him useless and without any alibi to protect himself. Instead of presenting an argument, Kiyo let out a guttural scream.

It had bounced around the trial room, reverberating through Tenko’s ears. The scream was familiar to her, that of complete helplessness. A wail of despair. He had lost.

“All you can do now is accept it.” Maki says, her tone sharp yet at the same time persuasive, “You even confessed to Tenko’s attempted murder already.”

“So it’s true… This...is the truth…” Despite her complete frustration with Kiyo throughout the entirety of the trial, Himiko’s voice wavered with a sense of betrayal. Tenko always admired her for her huge heart, her sense of compassion and finding empathy within her. The mage never did show it that much, shoving an excuse of being “too tired” to fully reveal her heart of gold.

Kiyo, in response to Himiko, emits a noise from the back of his throat, hands yanking at his hair and eyes beginning to water.

“Looks like we’re almost at the end.” Kaito says, “Alright, Shuichi! I’ll leave the finale to you! Bring down the house!”

Himiko turns to the Ultimate Detective, eyes tired once more, “Shuichi...please. Put an end to this…. For Angie’s sake… End this class trial!” 

There was a time during this trial that Tenko felt it would never end. The group barely had anything to go off of, all of them noticeably frazzled from what had just happened prior to the beginning of the class trial and none of them willing to cooperate with each other. Tenko, by far, had to have been the shining example of what “uncooperative” meant, pushing back when called on and refusing to move forward when asked. To have reached this conclusion is, what Tenko believed, the second best possible way this trial could have gone. The first best, of course, being this trial never happened in the first place.

“I understand…” Shuichi nods, “I’ll go over everything one more time!”

Tenko really did need this explanation. Her mind had only snapped back to reality during the second half of the trial, and even then she couldn’t help but miss out on certain aspects and had a harder time piecing the exact events together. 

“Kiyo… I want you to confess!” Shuichi yelled, finger pointed at the Anthropologist, who shook under the detective’s glare, “No...I will force you to confess!”

-=+=-

_It was late last night. The residents of the school had already said their good nights, wishing those around them sweet dreams before departing off to their rooms. The hallways came to a dead silence, no longer filled with the restless chatter of the group. The chatter that would grow increasingly quieter as the killing game continued._

_Kiyo had never slept. Instead, he returned to his room and sat on his bed, feet tapping anxiously as he waited. He had given himself a one hour wait time before he would make his ascension out of his room and towards the empty room on the fourth floor._

_Everything had been planned flawlessly. Every step, every second had been thought out meticulously, yet Kiyo still held this gnawing sense of impending doom. That something would inevitably fail. He tried his hardest to shake these thoughts out of his head, however, and began walking stealthily and silently towards the spare room._

(“we were also up in the middle of the night!” himiko and tenko claimed. how pathetic their lies are. i had made note of every movement, every whisper and noise i had heard before we stepped into the night)

_In order to use the floorboard as a seesaw, he had to cut the crosspiece supporting it. The plan was to make the same preparations for all three empty rooms, ensuring that no matter the room chosen for the seance the same result would ensue. If his plan worked perfectly, then all suspicion would be diverted towards whoever had chosen the room. The saw had been stolen from the warehouse previously, as soon as they decided to have a seance Kiyo immediately decided to grab it, aware of its potential in his plans._

_Kiyo worked quickly and with as little noise as possible, eventually beginning his preparations in the middle room. Perhaps he let his nerves take over, perhaps he had stomped too loudly or began sawing with too much vigour, but his perfect planning had caught someone’s attention._

(you must learn to calm down, kiyo. your excitement only leads to sloppy work and flimsy holes in your crime)

_The door is opened cautiously, and a foreign flash of bright yellow stands hovering at the doorway. Kiyo nearly gasps, alerted, flinching visibly and throwing the saw behind his back in a futile attempt to hide it._

_“Ah….Korekiyo….What is this?” Angie had muttered, voice tired and sleepy yet wavering with a frightened curiosity._

_And just like that, Kiyo watched his plan crumble through his gloved fingers. His nights upon nights of planning and waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike, the perfect moment in time to kill, instantly wasted._

_“N-Nothing!” He had stuttered, bullets of sweat running down his forehead and onto the unfinished crosspiece he was working on, “Nothing at all! Wh-Why are you...What are you-”_

_“I have come to retrieve a candle. I need to light a fire for the ritual.” She answered, stepping cautiously forward towards the candle mounted on the wall behind him, “I did not know that...You would be doing something here….”_

_“I’m not-! I’m not doing anything!” He sputters pathetically. His head dashes around as he attempts to take deep breaths. He tries desperately to return the floorboard back to its original state, as casually as possible, with the idea that maybe if he moved them back to normal the situation would die down._

_But it was too late. Angie had already seen his plans. His perfect, flawless plans. The murder plan he had worked tirelessly on, the murder plan dedicated to his beloved, the murder plan he had thought would have worked effortlessly, without a drop of blood to his name._

(do it for me, kiyo. i am ever so lonely in this life)

_Angie, with a weary glance below her at the unfinished setup, brushes past Korekiyo and begins her way towards the candle._

_It was all so perfect. He couldn’t throw it away now. He couldn’t let this plan slip out of her hands because of this ignorant, pathetic girl walking in accidentally. He couldn’t throw it away. He was not going to waste it. He would not waste it._ **_He would not waste it._ **

(do it for me, kiyo)

_CRACK!_

_The sound was sickening, but Kiyo’s ears had been trained with its familiar noise. He had taken the loose floorboard and struck the unsuspecting Angie over the head. She was not dead, only unconscious. Now was his time to expose of her. It was time to derail the plan, to make an exception. Time to improvise._

_Duct tape had been used as bandaging, and had been hurriedly wrapped around Angie’s injury to prevent the artist from bleeding out any more. Unnoticed by Korekiyo, Angie’s blood had seeped through the cracks of the floorboard, dripping silently on the floor of the room below them._

_Kiyo had thrown Angie over her shoulders and carried her to his research lab, dumping her on the floor upon arrival. His breathing was still hurried, chest compressing as he removed the duct tape and quickly disposed of it. One of the smaller segments of the tape had peeled off and fluttered underneath Angie’s body, and would later be the only way Shuichi exposed his method._

_He had left and returned, carrying the supplies he needed: a rope and a gold leaf katana. He locked the front door from the inside. The katana, one brought from his own lab, was positioned carefully, and rather shakily, over Angie’s neck. Kiyo inhaled deeply, raising the sword above his head without tearing his gaze away from the artist’s neck. It took little hesitation to kill her._

(what a lovely friend she will make)

_The rope from the warehouse was used to hang the four effigies upside-down. Four of his dead classmates, immortalized in wax with peaceful smiles, now hanging helplessly by their feet. They choked the room with an occult atmosphere, sending tingles down Kiyo’s spine as he positioned them._

_Kiyo stabbed the katana into Kaede’s abdomen. It was the second time he had stabbed someone that night._

_Quite playfully, he begins spinning the effigy around, knotting the rope it was hanging by before letting it go and heading for the rear door. It had taken him four tries before the katana tapped the lock shut behind him, leaving flakes of gold leaf._

(so much evidence had been left behind, kiyo. you did not try as hard as you could.)

_Angie’s death was the perfect reason to commence with his seance. His classmates had all felt so guilty, all of them so tormented by their dear friend’s murder that they would do anything to see her again. Manipulating them towards a seance took little to no effort, and two of his female classmates had volunteered to assist with it. One of them would become his next victim._

_Himiko decides on the middle room. Shuichi decides to take K1-B0’s place after persuasion from Kokichi. Tenko decides to be the medium._

_The rock was placed. Tenko sat in position, waiting to be killed. The cage was lifted, followed by the statue. The white cloth, covering the sickle, was draped over her. Everything had been so deliberate, so perfect, so flawless._

_This was the part that was supposed to be flawless._

_The salt guided his fingers towards the floorboards. His heart had been thumping rapidly, a forbidden grin escaping through the Caged Child song. He had done everything he could to stifle his excitement, as even the slightest change in volume could alert Tenko to move._

(but she had moved. it was not supposed to be like this, kiyo.)

_He had been appalled when he heard Tenko’s voice, shrill and whiny, begging for someone to let her out from under his perfectly positioned cage. Words would not form in his throat. He could barely move from his spot in the far corner, could not avert his gaze from where Tenko should have lain, deceased. Instead she was alive, wailing and throwing herself at the iron bars. A cruel, agonising final verse to the Caged Child Song._

_Truly, the perfect murder had finally crumbled. His plan, his flawless plan, in shambles._

(it was not supposed to be like this.)

-=+=-

“That’s where my detective work leads us. It all fits!”

Tenko barely noticed herself swaying, but as soon as Shuichi finished she steps out to regain balance. There’s a nauseous feeling that’s forming in the back of her throat that threatened to spill through her lips, which Tenko quickly seals. 

Kiyo is bawling, choking out gargles of tears as he hugs his shoulders tightly. There is little time to observe this, however, as the mask is quickly removed once more.

“Sweet Korekiyo, there are times when it’s necessary to admit defeat.”

He flips once more, “A-Admit…?” A beat of silence, “Yeah...Okay…”

Himiko, having composed herself after listening to Shuichi’s deduction, “So you...finally admit you did it.”

“Unfortunately...yes.”

Kiyo wipes tears from his eyes, and catches the stray ones which had fallen down onto his cheeks. He takes a long, overbearing look at his classmates, all of which stare back at him with differing levels of disgust and disdain.

“Yes… It’s unfortunate. Very, very unfortunate.”

He looks directly at Tenko, who again meets his eyes. She feels a sense of moral justice, of superiority over the weeping Anthropologist. They have finally proved him guilty and she will be the one to leave this trial. Not him.

“My one regret...My only regret...was not being able to make one hundred friends.” He shakes his head, feeling pity over himself.

“O-One hundred...friends…?” Gonta asked.

Tenko twitched, anxious to start the voting, “Wh-What has that gotta do with this?”

“Kehehe...It was my dream to make one hundred friends… Ooh, it’s so unfortunate! I was _so close to one hundred!”_

His head raises, his arms outstretched to approach something higher than him, an omniscient being who did not exist. As the trial had progressed, it got increasingly harder and harder to pinpoint whether or not Korekiyo was addressing himself, his classmates, or this other worldly being.

“Wh-What are you… talking about? I do not understand a word of this.” K1-B0 mutters.

Miu, glancing over at Tenko and noticing once more a a growing discomfort in the Aikido Master, bluntly declares, “Who gives a fuck!? Let’s vote for this kooky bastard and be done with this already!”

Monokuma perks up, his mechanical red eye whirring to life, “Roger that! One Voting Time, comin’ up!”

“THE-HEART-RACING-EXCITEMENT-AS…” Monodam begins, robotic words trailing off as he looks over at his two remaining comrades expectantly. Montaro and Monophanie sit in awkward silence.

Monokuma notices this and quickly takes over, “The heart-racing excitement…!”

“As the blackened and the spotless finally face off…” Monophanie finally says.

“It’s....VOTING TIME!!!”

-=+=-

CLASS TRIAL: VOTING TIME BEGIN

YOU HAVE SELECTED **[KOREKIYO SHINGUJI]**

ARE YOU SURE?

**[YES]** [NO]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're nearing the end of the class trial, folks!! thank you so much for reading !! <33


	6. i won't give up! i'll get out of here, no matter what!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 4 of the third trial and uh oh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one came out fast cuz i just couldnt wait to write this lol 
> 
> enjoy, thank you for reading!!

The monitor flickers on, the dark red screen painting the words “Results” in a chunky golden font. Tenko watches in anticipated dismay as the pixelated caricatures file onto the screen. Ten red bars display themselves next to Korekiyo Shinguji. 

A unanimous decision. Even Korekiyo had voted for himself.

A tiny chime plays, one so cheerful yet filled with a sinister undertone.

“Who’ll be chosen as the blackened!?” Monokuma announces with the same gusto as a sports commentator, “Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one!?”

The Verdict wheel emerges from the floor and Tenko finds herself holding her breath. She had always done this, ever since the first trial where she was praying that Kaede would not be the culprit. Now, she held her breath in hopes that they got the culprit correct. It felt instinctual, that her lungs constricted every time the pointer would pass her avatar.

‘SHINGUJI’ the sign blinks, before bursting bronze monocoins and confetti. Bright, colorful lights flashed in celebration, making Tenko squint her eyes to avoid its shine. How cruel it was, a lively eruption for a solemn, dark event such as this. A tiny, receipt like paper begins printing out from her monopad. ‘Testimonial’ it reads in bold font, ‘3rd Class Trial: Tenko Chabashira’. The letter C had been stamped crudely over the wording, a typical report card for her.

Her classmates begin stepping off of their podiums. Nobody makes any movement to approach Kiyo, all of them staring at him wearily. Tenko remains where she stood, eyes on the monopad.

“Wow! Seriously!? You’re correct again!” Monokuma joked, in a disingenuous bafflement, “A-Amazing! This is the third correct verdict in a row!”

“If you manage to get twelve correct verdicts in a row, you’ll proceed to the bonus round!” Monotaro announces.

 _T-Twelve?_ Tenko knew it was unreasonable, but she still found herself stumbling backwards, close to tripping over her podium. Gonta, who stood on the podium to her left, was quick to steady her. 

“...It’s finally over.” K1-B0 states, however there is a slight hint of curiosity laced in his words.

Tenko straightens her spine, “No, it isn’t. I still haven’t gotten an answer to my question.”

The courtroom shifts to face the man, who now stands confidently. His fate had been sealed, and it seems as if he had accepted it. 

“Kiyo, why? Why did you kill her?” Tenko’s voice barely has any power behind it. It is low and hollow, dangerously demanding.

“And _why_ did you try to kill Tenko!?” Himiko finishes, powerfully angry despite her small frame. Tenko hums under her breath, a small “thanks for remembering that”, eyes flicking to the mage for a second before returning to the anthropologist. 

From behind her, Gonta steps forward, red eyes glowering, “Yeah! He no need to kill them both, no matter what motive he have!”

Kiyo’s head moves in the direction of each speaking student, robotically gazing at each of them. His eyes are practically unreadable, his stance hinting at no fear of death despite the execution which awaits him.

Tsumugi nods, inching farther away from Kiyo and towards the rest of the group, who have started to huddle from the far side of the room, “Did your motive have something to do with the transfer student who was resurrected? Even if it did, though… How did that trigger a murder?”

Kokichi notices Kaito flinching at the mention of the transfer student, and moves to mock him about it.

“Don’t tell me… Were you _actually_ scared of the resurrection ritual, Kaito?” He says. Despite having just sentenced a man to death, his grin remained unmoving.

“Sh-Shut up! I never said I was scared!!” Kaito shook his fist, voice shaking with uncertainty. 

Kiyo breaks the childish argument, tittering behind his teeth once more, “The resurrection ritual had nothing to do with it.”

Tenko had one guess to his motive, and that was it. She was left with no clue.

“Because we’re friends, I’ll tell you… I never once believed in the ritual.” Kiyo had said, to which Tenko audibly flustered at the word ‘friends’, “I would never kill someone over such a silly thing as that.”

There was _no reason_ for this murder. _Every reason_ was a silly one.

“...So it has nothing to do with the motive?” Maki questions.

“Th-Then why?” Himiko asks.

Korekiyo emits another laugh, a breathy one that comes from his nose, hands crossed over his chest. His eyes close and for the first time he truly looks peaceful, reminiscing deeply.

“For the one that I love…” He replies, “There is...someone that I love. From the bottom of my heart. Someone so dear… someone I long for.”

Almost comically, Tenko’s first flashing thought was, _Me?_ She immediately recoils at it. The thought of a _man_ loving her…….yuck. And the idea that _he_ loved……….she couldn’t even finish thinking about it before gagging.

Her second thought was to quickly scan through her classmates, dead and alive, searching for someone that Kiyo may have had a relationship with. She can not remember the anthropologist ever being close to anybody inside the school; whenever he spoke to someone he would always be accompanied by another person who knew them better, only being caught alone out of pure chance. At least, Tenko always avoided talking to him independently. Whenever they talked, which was not often, she was always surrounded by other people.

So, she deduced, he had to be talking about someone outside of the academy.

“I love her with all my heart. And she loves me with all her heart.” He continues, “Yes, we vowed an endless love to each other… Forever bound by fate. None can come between us. We are bound by an intense love… No matter what anyone says.”

“Braggin’ about your perfect love life!? _Fuck you!_ Some of us aren’t that lucky…!” Miu whimpers.

Tenko felt rage boiling deep inside of her, which she tried to release by thinking rationally. Love. It had been for love. When she compared it to the other class trials, hadn’t Kirumi done the same? She had loved her nation, loved her people so much that she had to commit a murder in order to escape. And deep down, everybody here wanted to escape. She just had more of a reason to.

Tenko tried to envision a reality where she had a significant other that she loved _that_ strongly, held _that_ dearly that she would take someone’s life just to see them again. Sure, she had her Master, who she appreciated and looked up to, but when she really thought about it she didn’t have anyone to return to. Her family had sent her off because of her anger issues, the same anger which she was attempting so desperately to choke down now. She took pride in protecting the women of her hometown through her Neo-Aikido, but it wasn’t as if her training gained her many friends. She was very busy, she told herself. Deep down she knew that making friends was hard for her. 

“So to see this lover of yours, you had to escape…” Kaito grits through his teeth, a vain beginning to pop out of his forehead.

“That’s why you killed Angie…” Himiko trailed.

“That still doesn’t explain why you needed to kill _me_ as well!!” Tenko argued. Kiyo tipped his hat, shadowing his eyes.

“If you asked if I did it to escape this place, my answer would be… No. Because I have no need to escape this place. The one I love...is inside.”

“So it IS somebody in the academy!” Tenko deduces, stepping in front of her podium. 

The room comes to a halting silence as the group processes that information. Tenko could feel everybody beginning to slowly inch their heads in the direction of Miu.

She stutters as she notices everyone’s glances, “D-Don’t look at me! I...I’m not his lover!”

Kokichi snorts through his nose, once again reanimating the classroom, “Calm down, no one would want a disgusting shit-stuffed bitch like you anyways.” He shrugs. Tenko takes two warning steps toward him, nostrils flaring in threat. 

She begins with a startling, “ _What makes you think you can speak to her like-”,_ but before she is able to yell at him, Kaito has moved on.

“Kiyo! Who is it!? Who’s this person you love!?”

“Is it really one of us?” Maki tilts her head. Every student has thoroughly examined the room, estimating the possibilities of each student being involved with Korekiyo’s love struck madness. Everybody shares the same look of bewilderment, a general agreement rippling amongst the group that nobody would ever consider Kiyo as a lover. 

_Gross!_ Says Angie, accent ringing clearly, _guilty guilty gui-_

 _Guilty._ Tenko finishes for her, teeth gritted, _Thanks._

At this point, too much has happened for Tenko to be in total disbelief about Angie’s voice, anyways. She knows it’s a stress hallucination, that once this is all over, it will leave her mind. She had remembered hearing Kaede’s voice for days after her execution, a lingering song of _you have a promise to keep!_ that would accompany her routine activities. 

Tenko was unbelievably stressed, so her mind has created this inner voice and disguised it as Angie. It will quieten once this is over. It _has_ to.

Once this degenerate is dead, Angie will die with him.

Korekiyo remains generally unflustered, position calm and regal, “Mmm...When I say ‘inside’, I do not mean ‘inside the academy.’” After grasping a moment to inhale the reactions of his fellow students, he begins again. “I mean...inside me.”

_Inside….him?_

There’s a quick hum from the back of Tenko’s mind, sounding eerily similar to the Ultimate Artist, which she suppresses instantly.

“Yes, the one I love lives inside me,” Korekiyo gasps once more, “My _dearest Sister.”_

The urge to vomit crawls back up Tenko’s throat and this time it returns much more powerfully. She bites the inside of her cheeks, face scrunching in visible disgust. There is a burst of shocked chatter, the chatroom once again turning to face Miu.

“D-Don’t look at _me! I...I’m not his sister!”_ She barks.

“Well, duh-” Kokichi starts, obviously leaning to say something else, however one glance at Tenko’s dog-like snarl stops him in his tracks. His smile does not falter.

“Your sister? But… didn’t you say she was your _lover_?”

“It is not that difficult,” The Ultimate Anthropologist replies, with a cocky aura exuding him as if Tsumugi should know this already, “My sister is my lover.”

At Korekiyo’s answer another ripple of disgusted chatter waves through the courtroom. Tenko glances a disturbed look over at Himiko, whose lips are pursed and hands have recoiled to her chest. Her eyes narrow into a squint.

“ _Nyeh?”_ She saw her mouth wordlessly, directed at the Aikido Master. Tenko’s eyes are wide, shaking her head to show her she, too, had no clue what the hell was going on.

Kiyo continues his rather sensual monologue, detailing his _relationship_ with his sister and how he believed, genuinely, that what they held with each other was sacred and true, despite what anyone else believed. Tenko dryly applauded his lack of acknowledgement towards other people’s opinions, because everyone around him had one. The same opinion. And it was not pretty.

“The only time I felt at peace…was when I was enveloped in my sister’s warmth!” Tenko was certain that Korekiyo had been talking for hours, “That is why...for my beloved sister… I had to-”

“Y-You had to escape from here, right?” Kaito bellows. 

Tenko feels as if she was getting whiplash from how frequently these past few days flipped on its head. First Angie’s murder, then the seance, then the confession, which lead to the trial where she was accused multiple times, to Kiyo’s split personality, and finally his _incestual_ relationship with his _sister!?_ Tenko needed to sit down. The room would not stop rocking back and forth, as if she had stepped aboard a pirate ship. Which was sinking. Fast. And also doing backflips.

“No… I had to kill for her.”

It was quite possibly the _worst_ possible motive out of all three class trials. The room was silent, with Shuichi opening and closing his mouth to say something but no noise coming out of his throat. Maki and Kaito kept stealing glances at each other, both members of the pair furious beyond words. Tsumugi was pale, licking her lips every other second. Miu only blinked, slowly, eyes glued to the floor. Who knows what was going through her mind.

“Sister was very sickly… She was always in and out of the hospital ever since she was a child. Because of that, she didn’t have many friends. She always seemed so lonely...Even if I could be her little brother and her lover, I couldn’t be her friend.”

 _Poor girl,_ Tenko thinks reflexively, mind conflicted on how she should view her, _I- I mean….. I guess…..not………such a poor girl………._

“So I thought I’d find her some friends. Friends for my dear, _deceased_ sister.”

 _Deceased?_ The word repeated itself until Tenko finally managed to grasp its meaning, _D-Deceased???_

“My sister is now a ghost, so her friends should be ghosts, too, right?”

“What the- _No!!”_ Tenko blurts. To even imagine herself being killed, murdered only because a degenerate male deemed her ‘worthy’ to be his dead sister’s ‘friend’ made her flare in anger. Her entire face began to tint with red as she felt her cheeks heating in fury, her fists once more clenching in and out.

 _Breathe._ She tried desperately to think, _Please breathe, just BREATHE._

“For Sister’s sake… I’ve killed many! To send her _one hundred friends!_ ”

“There’s _no way_ I’d wanna be friends with your _incest-ridden degenerate sister!_ ” Tenko is not sure if she’d really meant to call her that, but her anger which she had tried to target at Kiyo had sidetracked towards her. There’s a pang in her chest, an _inch_ of guilt towards how she had name-called the deceased, but it is quickly flooded by blinding rage. She hated this rage. She truly, truly hated how out of control she was.

Kiyo inhales with a glare, deeply offended, “It seems as if I was wrong. Based on previous assumptions, I assumed you would have deemed yourself worthy of being Sister’s friend, as the others before you had!” He looks down on Tenko, as if she was a mere child. Tenko Chabashira was not a child. She was **not** . “Himiko would’ve been great, but you volunteering for the seance made me so happy… Your noble, earnest heart would have made you a _perfect_ friend for Sister. You had even infiltrated the student council to protect Himiko.”

There’s a sharp pang of, _Guilty!_ that resides in the back of her head.

“Y-You’re saying that… I could have been the next victim….if Tenko hadn’t switched out with me?” Himiko squeaks. She wanted to give her a hug, provide _any_ sort of comfort, but her body was shaking with pure resentment. 

“Any girl here, minus Miu and Maki, would have made _excellent_ friends, which is why the seance had been created.” He ignores Miu’s belittling statements of ‘why not me?’ and continues, “Tenko was worthy at the time… having battled the darkness of this school all by herself, however I _was_ planning on having _you_ become Sister’s friend too… eventually.” Kiyo answered, then returning his condescending gaze back towards Tenko, “It seems that _you_ were too disobedient to follow through with it, therefore you are no longer rightful for my sister. _You_ are the degenerate one. Unworthy.”

 _Unworthy!_ Angie repeats, to which Tenko twitches, _unworthy unworthy unworthy!_

“Shut up!! I’m going to- You better-” Spit flies everywhere. Tenko backtracks and sputters, embarrassed. 

“This is too impossible to understand…!” K1-B0’s eyes have turned into blank screens as the robot attempts to comprehend the ever growing tension in front of him, “Too...impossible!”

Kiyo revels in Tenko’s lack of confidence, “I suppose you were not needed… Sister is very happy.” The mask falls from his face and Korekiyo’s Sister takes the forefront, “Yes, Korekiyo… I am very happy. Thanks to you, I am not lonely.”

“C-Could it be...that the lipstick version of Kiyo is…” Tsumugi starts, curious and plainly.

‘Korekiyo’ nods, “I am Korekiyo’s older sister. Thank you for looking after my little brother.”

“Look- Look after-” Tenko is still unable to form a coherent sentence. Shuichi approaches cautiously from behind, beginning to make a move to tap her shoulder, however upon noticing the Aikido Master flinching he drops his arm.

“Wh-What the hell!?” Kaito screams at nothing in particular. 

“After I lost my beloved sister, I was so distraught, I nearly went mad.” Kiyo said in a song-like manner, “But Sister came to save me. She visited me during one of my seances and stayed inside me…”

 _That sounds familiar,_ a voice taunts. It is too loud.

 _Shut up!!_ Tenko yells back.

_Run!! Run run run run run!!_

“Shut _up!”_ She mistakenly shouts aloud, “I’ve had enough already!!”

“Wooow, you did _all that_ just to kill. For you to go that far… that’s pretty impressive.” Kokichi grants, “You were interested in The Caged Child, just so you could use it to kill someone, right?”

The song’s verses trilled in Tenko’s ears, voices overlapping in off-key solidarity. One voice hummed in silent staccato, the other in fortissimo stanzas. Over it all, Angie’s voice sang clearly.

 _Guilty! Run! Unworthy!_ It chanted playfully, repeating cruelly, _LOOK UP!_

Tenko looks up and there’s nothing but a glass ceiling, but she finds herself frozen, staring upwards anyways. She can’t seem to lower her eye-level back to the ground, eyes bewildered and sweat cascading from the back of her neck and forehead. Above her, the distant phantom of a pointed sickle, dancing to the rhythm of The Caged Child song. 

“I was not planning to murder Angie, I knew I would have plently of chances after escaping this place. But Angie walked in on me preparing and I ended up killing her in a different way.” His voice cuts through the song, “So I figured, I may as well try to kill someone else, too. After all, it would be a shame to just waste the seance trick I prepared.”

“ _Stop. Talking.”_ Tenko warns, head still duly raised to the ceiling.

“Oh, don’t get so _worked up_ ,” He spits at her, “There’s something I learned after Sister’s death… Death only changes a person’s form. The soul lives on as a ghost.”

She found zero comfort in those words. The statement had only further choked her, stifling her with loud, unbearing voices, now beginning to distantly resemble the tone of her deceased friends.

“I don’t understand anything you’re saying. Nothing’s making sense!” Himiko says. Tears have streaked down her cheeks, but she is consciously blinking them away, “It’s not fair! Why did Angie have to die for something so unfair!?”

“Because death is unfair,” Monokuma answers, robotic voice low, “All deaths are unfair deaths. Why do you think news stations get such high ratings when they’re reporting about death? Because...everyone likes unfair deaths.”

Tenko felt as if the bear had intentionally spat the word ‘unfair death’, just to further accentuate the inhumanity of their situation, the pure brutality of it all.

“Well if you look at it like that, this whole killing game embodies that philosophy, right?” Of course it’s Kokichi talking, “Gifted high school students forced to play a killing game… Man! If people were watching this, they would get a kick out of it!”

Tenko’s head was still spinning, but she was able to spot Miu’s concerned glance over at her. Unnoticed, the Ultimate Inventor had stepped closer to her. Either that, or Tenko was moving across the courtroom, gliding so smoothly that not even she was aware of it.

“Knock off the bullshit! Only sick fucks would enjoy watching this!”

No, Tenko was definitely moving. She knew that now. Her head was slowly lowering, creaking, as if her neck had rusted in that position. Her feet drift her, slowly, away from her position.

“Hell yeah! If I wasn’t in this killing game, I would have so much fun watching!”

Who was talking now, she wondered? Too many thoughts. Too many voices. Or was it just one? Was it only Angie’s, just pain-stakingly loud? So loud, in fact, that it seemed to mute all other thoughts by default?

Her hands clench in rhythm with the voice. Inhaling heavily through her nose only seemed to add fuel to the fire. 

“Kehehe… The nature of this killing game is yet shrouded in mystery…”

 _I want to go home._ Tenko’s pace has accelerated, and there is no hitting the breaks. _I_ **_need_ ** _to go home._

“But my role in it is over. I have finished my explanation to you, friends. I think I shall go and see her now… My beloved sister...”

Somebody has reached out to pause her, perhaps they have taken a wild guess of what she was about to do, but Tenko had roughly thrown them off of her. She was uncertain who she had shoved, but it did not matter.

The voices in her head have all come to an eerie agreement. Chanting as one, they repeat themselves in striking unison. _You need to go home. You_ **_need_ ** _to go home._ **_You need to go home._ **

“I was unable to send her one hundred friends, but at least I can see her again now...”

 _Unworthy!_ Yells Angie, _Guilty!_

Tenko reels back her fist and swings with a force so deeply rooted, so powerful, that it knocks Korekiyo clean off of his feet. His head hits the ground first and he is obviously taken aback, raising a hand to his skull in a shocked daze. His nose begins to bleed rapidly, to which he attempts to stifle it with his free hand. Tenko does not allow him to wipe the blood away. She has already winded up her arm for another swing. And another. And another.

Neo-Aikido did not implement punching often. ‘Punching’ was seen as brute force, as a way of fighting that only incorporated strength and not the mind, the complete opposite of what her martial arts training was all about. In this moment, however, punching came much easier to her. It silenced her mind, swinging freely, with the only driving force being her anger. The voices had melded into a continuous ringing, muting any other noises around her and providing a sense of comfort for the Aikido Master. Finally, everything has silenced.

She faintly hears people behind her but can not listen. Her eyes have focused onto Kiyo, refusing to look away as she kicked and swung and fought. She did not care about Monokuma. She didn’t care about the others. She just wanted….

She just….

Wanted………

“ _Tenko!! Stop it!!”_ Himiko yells at her.

She finds herself halting, reality setting around the courtroom that she currently stood in. Before she could process, she is lifted up off of Kiyo, now a bloody heap on the floor.

“Please stop, Tenko!” The voice of her lifter belonged to none other than Gonta, “It end now, please stop!”

The air around her seems to have punched her in the gut. _What was she doing?_ She hasn’t done anything even _close_ to that in such a long time, and had almost forgotten what that feeling of a complete lack of control felt like. It flushed her back to her days before Neo-Aikido, her days living, holed up with her parents. So unreasonably angry at the world. So prone to frustration, that she would not and could not function in a normal society.

She blinks and looks up at her classmates. They all stared at her, dumbfounded. Kaito and Tsumugi have distanced themselves from the situation, however the astronaut looked as if he was attempting to convince himself to assist. Shuichi is dancing between approaching and staying away, Kokichi grinning wildly next to him. Maki stares at Kiyo dangerously, then at Tenko, then back at Kiyo.

Looking at Himiko’s face only broke Tenko’s heart. The mage had shrunk in on herself, mouth dropping as she stared down at the damage. Tenko had made Himiko _scared_ of her.

“S-Sorry…” She choked from Gonta’s grip. It was not meant for Kiyo, instead for her friends. “I’m- I didn’t mean-”

“Welly well well! Looks like everybody has politely discussed their grievances!” Monokuma interrupts. He is practically bouncing in his throne, anticipating the next event. Tenko’s classmates all stare at each other, wide-eyed. Was this really how things were going to end? “Now then, let’s get started… It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for -- Punishment Time!”

Kiyo shakily lifts himself into a sitting position, hands trembling as he clutches his bloody face. He painfully tugs his mask down to reveal his bright red lipstick, now smudged and tipping downwards onto his chin, “It’s alright, sweet Korekiyo… Come to me.” 

“My beloved sister…” He croaks back, clearly in agony, “At long last… I’ll finally get to see you again...”

“Yes... from now on, no one will try to stop us. We can be together without having to hide our love from others…”

Kiyo finds great comfort in those words. Without another sentence, he collapses back with a wounded grunt, eyes still wide open.

“W-Wait...I still can’t….” Himiko pauses to collect her thoughts, “I still have so many questions, I… Can’t accept this...”

The anthropologist makes no effort to reply to the mage, instead he wistfully gazes up, waiting for a chain, a rope, anything to drag him away and towards his sister. Gonta has plopped Tenko to the floor, which she stands, stiff as a board. The Ultimate Entomologist looks over in concern, which Tenko replies to with a measured nod.

The room returns to silence, this time oddly comfortable. Tenko’s breathing is the loudest noise. She finds great shame in that fact, and tries hard to stop herself.

Monokuma has waited long enough. His eyes scan for any other complaints, any further arguments that could be drawn from the group, but everybody there seemed to have reached the same stillness. 

“I’ve prepared a special punishment for the Ultimate Anthropologist, Korekiyo Shinguji!”

Breaking through the thick silence, one final voice begins to speak, raspy and treacherous.

“I’ll be watching….forever and ever…” Kiyo scowls. Tenko looks over and notices how he is staring at her with his now bruised eyes. His last words were a warning, a final taunt, “All those who died…. Will be watching…”

Bile rose in Tenko’s throat. To think that everyone, dead and alive, had watched her outrage shook her to the very core. How disappointed they must have been in her. She could practically see them now, shaking their heads in disdain as they watched her. Kaede had expected peace, had been promised such, but now received violence in the form of cruel justice. The dark-haired girl could feel everyone staring with wide eyes, holding a disappointment so heavy it crushed her trembling frame.

How incredibly disappointing the Ultimate Aikido Master was.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s... PUNISHMENT TIIIME!”

Suddenly and without warning, Tenko doubles over and hurls onto the floor.

-=+=-

 **G** A **M** E O **V** E **R**

[Korekiyo has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> korekiyo: *has accepted his death and is at peace with execution*
> 
> tenko: Vibe Check


	7. train your heart by crying, laughing, and venting your anger, himiko.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> third class trial finale. everybody needs a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: i really shouldn't put tenko through all this torment. she really just needs a hug. i should just write them happy
> 
> also me: time for Sad

_[The execution of Korekiyo Shinguji implemented an array of punishment, torture, and execution methods that have been used in Japan historically, along with customs from antiquity.]_

The group crowded around the execution, helpless to assist but too fixed on the scene before them to look away. Korekiyo had been tied completely, hanging limply from the ceiling above him. From his bruising skin to his hollow breathing, Kiyo already looked dead.

_[The way he was tied is known as a “shrimp tie” (海老責め ebizeme), more specifically referred to as the “reverse shrimp tie”. This type of bondage was used in the Edo Period, the period between 1603 and 1868 when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate, as a torture and interrogation technique. The gruesome positioning exerts force on the victim’s body, causing increasing amounts of pain as time passes.]_

The Anthropologist’s eyes barely managed to open, swollen and blue, however his yellow irises seemed to have noticed Monotaro and Monophanie approaching. The two bears, red and pink respectively, waddled up to opposite sides of him and began spinning him rapidly. His hat flies across the room as Kiyo becomes increasingly more dizzy. Tenko takes a dry note of the parallel between how he had spun the Kaede effigy and his horrid execution now. 

The two monocubs jolt the man to a halting stop. Kiyo’s head rocks side to side, as if it had become ten times heavier, gravity pulling it towards the ground as he struggles to lift it. A new emotion flashes through his eyes, one that Tenko could only describe as a conflicted fear, one that seemed to have only settled itself now. One of the robotic samurai, having been created for some kind of twisted, ironic atmosphere, swings its katana and slices the ties which suspended Kiyo. The group can only watch in horror as the anthropologist collapses through the trapdoor which had revealed itself below him.

 _[The rope binding being cut by a man holding a katana can be noted to hold similarity towards the Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment, Seppuku, sometimes referred to as_ _harakiri (腹切り). It more specifically resembles the stage after the disembowelment itself, when an attendant beheads the subject of the ritual.]_

Monotaro and Monophanie return, piles upon piles of firewood in their paws as they rush towards the massive pot of water that Kiyo had fallen into. Unceremoniously, they toss the logs under the pot and begin to ignite it. Korekiyo, hands and legs tied as well as horribly beaten, had no strength nor means of escaping the water as it began to reach its boiling point. All he could do was stare, face turning bright pink as the steam reached it. His stare extended outward, at nothing and everything in particular, screams hidden behind them but otherwise he stood silently. The group stared back at him, eyes locked as blood began to stream through Kiyo’s sockets. Himiko was the first to break contact, turning around to compose herself. This is soon followed by an already pale Kaito.

Monodam, having been so silent before, runs head first into the fire and subsequently bursts into flames.

_[Death by boiling was a form of state-approved execution method for severe criminals in the Tokugawa Shogunate.]_

The two remaining bear cubs recoil in shock, having just witnessed a sudden suicide, however their pause did not falter the growing flame. Monodam’s robotic limbs and spare parts had added an intense fuel to the fire, which flames licked at the brim of the pot. Kiyo’s suffering seemed to have been accelerated, and the anthropologist collapsed backwards, now unable to stand.

Forming from its steam began the creation of a fluid blue light. It flittered upwards, in motion with the condensation, growing bigger and more bright. Shuichi taps Kaito lightly, motioning him to look outwards where the rest of the class had focused. It was a hauntingly beautiful sight, the renewal of a spirit that rose from the mist, soon taking the form of Kiyo, whose body now appeared sans his clothings and the ugly marks Tenko had left him. His arms outstretched, Korekiyo’s soul ascends to the sky where he reunites with another spirit, who mimics him in appearance yet is considerably more feminine. The pair shares a moment of peace, both positioned to embrace.

Popping from behind a roof, Monokuma appears, dressed in an unusual robe. In his right paw he grasps a rustic clay bowl, filled with a tower of large grains of salt.

_[During this execution, Monokuma wears the garb of a Shinto priest. The outfit is often identified with Onmyōji, practitioners of Japanese esoteric cosmology, who are traditionally said to have been capable of communicating with and controlling spirits.]_

Monokuma grabs fistful upon fistful of salt, showering Kiyo’s spirit in the seasoning. His figure begins to drip and melt, similar to a wet painting under running water, and for the first time in his execution Kiyo screams. It was the kind of scream that made your blood run cold, piercing through your ears, so raw and guttural that it truly exuded agony. Adrenaline surged through Tenko’s veins, fight or flight, stand or run, yet her body remained complicitly still.

Suddenly and almost cruelly, his Sister begins to sprinkle the salt, tossing it gleefully and she watches her brother wail and shriek, grasping desperately to hold her once more. As his spirit is “purified”, Korekiyo can do nothing but yell in horror as he is permanently banished to the afterlife, ripped from his love.

_[Throwing handfuls of salt as a means of banishing evil spirits is a tradition in Japan originating from ancient history.]_

Monokuma and his Sister sit, content, on top of a tiled roof, sharing one last wistful look at the rising Japanese moon. The execution has finished, Korekiyo’s spirit forever exiled to an eternity of solitude away from his beloved.

-=+=-

“Wh-What!?”

Monophanie, in a matter comically similar to what Tenko had just done previously, bends over and begins to vomit a white, putty-like liquid. It slowly flattens to the ground, soon seeping into the carpeted flooring beneath her. The Ultimate Aikido Master had barely noticed, eyes fixated where the execution once was, lips sealed shut and mouth bitterly tasting of vile. 

“Wh-What the…? To think... my cute child...would commit suicide…” Monokuma ruffles suddenly, demeanor switching to a fatherly admiration, “Ahhh… It’s so cute! It’s so freakin’ cute that he would kill himself cuz he couldn’t get along!

It becomes clear after a few seconds of the bear’s eccentric ramblings that nobody in the courtroom was paying attention. Their eyes had wandered elsewhere, many landing on the patchy blood splattered on the flooring while others focused on the main reason for the stain, who stood shakily. She had barely recovered from when she had doubled over, hands balancing on her knees to keep her upwards as her head drooped downwards. The only motion she made to ensure others she was alive was her chest rising up and down unnaturally. 

“Hey, Tenko…….” Kaito starts, voice barely above a whisper as to not interrupt whatever Monokuma was on about, “You….doing alright?”

There’s a beat where Tenko debates whether or not she should respond, or what she should respond with. The obvious answer was of course she was not, however she felt heavily against replying to Kaito as her spirit had already been drained to its last drop and she just _knew_ that talking to a degenerate male would ruin her. Staring down at her sandals became oddly hypnotizing. 

“.....Maybe.” She choked out, slowly beginning to rise, “Don’t- Maybe...”

“‘ _Maybe’_ my ass! Y-You just tore a new one into that shithead!!” Miu exclaimed, taking two astonished steps forward with her mouth open and smiling. Tenko’s lips tug downwards, eyes looking to meet the Ultimate Inventor’s. In comparison with the rest of her class, she did not seem all that affected. Perhaps slightly jittery, definitely overcompensating to cover her shock after the execution, but still relatively friendly.

Monokuma quickly discovers that nobody has been paying attention to his antics and turns toward the group, who have separated themselves from each other as if intentionally keeping distance, “Hey!! What’s the dealio over here!? I’m trying to monologue with my dear children, and you all keep interrupting!!” 

“It’s not as if we care about your worthless banter.” Maki replies.

“Ouch! Oof! My feelings!”

“Nyeh… Your hands are bleeding again.... And they were just starting to heal….” Himiko’s voice is soft, both because she does not want to intervene with Monokuma (who once again began ranting) and also because she does seem to have the power. It comes out shakily, as if she was on the verge of tears but took to choking it back. Upon hearing her voice, Tenko immediately starts up again.

“I’m so sorry-!” She starts, head bowing, “I really don’t know what c-came over me, I’m _so_ sorry, really I am!”

“Is _nobody_ listening to me!?” Says Monokuma.

“I-I’ve made all of the girls feel unsafe-! I-I never meant to- I’m sorry I-” Her head looks between all of her female classmates, trying to show that she meant to address all of them but instead it just made it look as if she was having a stroke, “I don’t know what happened. I really don’t know-”

“Tenko, it’s okay,” Shuichi cuts, eyebrows furrowed in remorse, “Er- Maybe it’s not, but we at least know where you’re coming from.”

“Gonta accept apology!” The Ultimate Entomologist says, nodding with mercy despite a rather unconfident air, “Even if apology not meant for Gonta, Gonta accept anyway! Because Gonta know Tenko not bad person!”

“I….Um….” She battles with herself, whether or not she should open herself to a male, but the need for forgiveness overpowered, “Thank………. you. But I-”

“Kids, this is getting ridiculous! I’ve got hours of comedic dialogue and it’s all going to waste!” Monokuma bobs from where he sits, his left eye glistening with a dangerous red color. Once the room was silenced, he reveals a gothic black book. “I’m taking this here Necronomicon back as punishment! Seems like a waste, though. You guys sure you don’t wanna use it?” The bear covers his mouth with his paws, simulating a childish giggle, “You guys should’ve brought someone back to life and added them to your roster.”

“S-Shut up! How long are you gonna keep talking about that!?” Kaito sputters, shaking a clenched yet trembling fist.

Maki has barely changed facial expressions since Tenko saw her after the beatdown, “Ignore him. The whole resurrection ritual is obviously a lie. He’s just trying to shake us mentally to get us to panic. I’m assuming you’ll think another murder will happen if you do that, right?”

Monokuma emits another robotic, sharp titter from behind his hands, “Who can say? It’s clear that _some_ of you are already shaken up enough to kill!”

Tenko begins to rattle her head left to right, clearly ready to defend herself, however quickly reads how everyone around her seemed against that. Instead, she keeps her eyes glued on Monokuma’s tummy. If she doesn’t look it in the eyes, it holds no power, right? _Yeah_.

“It’s too bad you missed your chance to raise the dead. That’s what you get for doubting me!” Monokuma shrugs, “Puhuhuhuhuhuhu! Too bad!”

And with one last chime of ‘ _So long! Bear well!’,_ Monokuma and his Monocubs erase themselves from the room, leaving the class in a withering silence.

Tenko is not sure what she should say. She was certain that apologizing would be worthless, considering how she had just mercilessly beat up a man, which led her to believing that perhaps explaining herself would be the best route. Once she came up with that idea, however, she had no idea where to begin. She took down degenerate males on the regular, that part of it wasn’t as much of a concern, but it was rather how _out of control_ she was which raised flags. She did not want to apologize and explain herself for hurting Kiyo, but rather the _way_ she hurt Kiyo. And that just made her head hurt.

She wished that her emotions would stay on track for just _one second._ She had always been able to identify them clearly, always been able to express them because she so vividly felt them. Now, her chest swarmed with conflicting responses, congesting her with a raw and bitter feeling and leaving her with nothing to do.

“Even now he still talks about raising the dead…” Shuichi begins talking slowly, clearly attempting to begin a conversation after the horrific sights they had just witnessed. It was directed at Kaito, as he knew that the greatest reaction would come from him.

“Man...this is stupid,” Kaito grumbles, the idea of ghosts quite obviously rampant in his mind, “What people believe in is up to them, but… Living people shouldn’t have to suffer because of the dead! The living are more precious than the dead! No matter what!”

Tenko would have believed that wholeheartedly before the killing game, but now that philosophy seemed rocky. With all of those they had lost… And Korekiyo’s last words…

_All those who died… Will be watching…_

The dead suddenly had become so much more important in her life. It was unnerving, and also yet another reason for her current fluctuation of emotion.

“...That’s not something a coward like you should say.” Maki remarks, unsurprisingly blunt.

“Sh-Shut up… Leave me alone.”

“But...there’s one thing this case taught me.” Tsumugi announces. Her voice is timid, and it is the first time Tenko has heard her speak up in a while, “I thought there was a god watching over us, but…”

The Ultimate Cosplayer gazes upwards, where Tenko had originally been glaring at, staring through the glass ceiling in a silent hope that something, _someone,_ would be out there. Tenko finds herself flickering her gaze upwards as well, the sunlight emitting from the glass a harsh reminder of their captivity. She can’t stare at it for long.

“ **There isn’t after all… Not in this academy…”**

It was truly a hopeless statement. It rattles the ten remaining students to their core, nobody keeping eye contact with each other as they try their hardest to gaze away from the crying Tsumugi. Tears flood her eyes and tumble endlessly down her cheeks, hands cupped close to her heart as she stares upwards. Stares upwards in a devastating longing for a help which will never arrive. Nobody dares to respond, but it is silently agreed upon that Tsumugi is correct. Perhaps even Himiko, with her fleeting devotion to Atua, had suddenly realized that her god would not save her.

“Well...that’s why we have to work together, right? Face it together.” Shuichi’s voice is once again soft, but holds a sense of strength that Tenko can no longer muster, “Our ultimate talents are the best weapons we have.”

“Then Gonta do his best to keep everyone safe! Gonta wanna protect everyone!” 

“But your talent is entomology…..” Tsumugi whispers in rebuttal.

 _The best weapons we have_ . Tenko bounced that phrase through her mind a few times before fully grasping the meaning. She stares down at her fists, now stained red with _somebody’s_ blood; whether it belonged to her or Korekiyo she could not place. Unclenching them only revealed how much her hand truly was trembling, her fingers practically rattling as blood trailed down them and dripped to the floor. It was the first time that Neo-Aikido had felt...out of place. The first time her talent felt more like a hindrance than something she should be proud of.

“I don’t want Shuichi to use his Ultimate talent anymore. I’m getting sick of class trials.” Maki comments, to which the detective hums, a quick breath of air emitting from his nose to portray laughter. 

Kokichi, who’s facial expression has not faltered, quickly chimes in, “Hey! Your talent as an assassin is way more trouble! When are you gonna use that, huh?”

Tenko knows that Maki was no longer viewed as the most dangerous person in that courtroom. However, it seems that the ruby-eyed girl had faltered, stance softening as she glanced around at her peers. There’s a brief moment where she glances back at the bloodstains on the floor, flashes of past memories clearly running through her mind as distress began to show itself in her eyes. 

She huffs through her nose sharply, breaking the moment of silence, “...I’ll work hard, until everyone trusts my Ultimate talent.”

“Huh?” Kokichi eyes furrow, the first time in a while that his grin had been wiped from his face.

“It may not be possible now, but I’ll put in the effort so everyone can trust me. I...I won’t run away anymore… I want to survive and escape this place with everyone.”

A hint of pride bursts in Tenko’s chest, a proud feeling towards Maki for finally opening her heart. She had always known that she had been blocking her true feelings, storing her emotions behind a stony glare, which the Aikido Master knew and had been taught was awful for you. It was quite funny how Tenko seemed to be doing the opposite, closing up, mouth clammy. 

“I seeee… I wonder how long that’ll last. What if your true calling as a killer shows?” Kokichi returns.

“Don’t underestimate her!” Kaito assures, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before being immediately shoved off, “Maki Roll’s one of my sidekicks!”

“I don’t remember being your sidekick. Also, didn’t I tell you to stop calling me Maki Roll?” Her tone implies a certain coldness but Tenko can’t help but grasp a playfulness behind it.

Having finally regained her sense of the surroundings around her, the ringing in her ears at least muting themselves enough that she could hear clearly what everybody was saying, Tenko brushes off her skirt and blinks profusely, just to rid any dust or tears left in her eyes. Maki was right. Trust was something that she needed to reflect on, something she would need to work up to again. Just not right now. She’ll sleep on it and then face it tomorrow. Yeah. That’s rational. She’ll just stop thinking and do everything tomorrow. Just stop thinking.

 _Okay!_ Angie chirps, _okay okay!_

 _What are you? Are you Angie?_ Tenko replies, _And why do you only speak one word at a time all of the sudden?_

It clearly does not hear, _Run! Run!_

“From what…?” Tenko shutters allowed, voice silent under the conversation of her peers, “He’s _gone…!_ From _who…?”_

“Tenko, you okay?” Gonta asks.

_Run run run!_

“Who from? _Who?”_ Tenko asks again, unaware of her classmates beginning to turn towards her.

“What do you mean? What can Gonta do? Anything Gonta can do to help?” He approaches Tenko, hands up. She shakes her head, hands pushing out to motion him away from her, now hyper focused on how she was presenting herself.

“I think we just need to give everyone some space for now,” Shuichi says softly, “That might be best for her… For everybody.”

One glance around the room and Tenko could clearly see everybody’s sullen faces, however it did not compare to Himiko’s, who only stared back with glassy eyes, concern and sadness washing over her expression. The urge to console her hits Tenko like a train, but she manages to talk herself out of it. Even though that had made up during the trial, the damage had already been done. Himiko had lost somebody she had considered her friend, and _then_ had to watch as Tenko flipped out in some sort of revenge-driven murderous rampage. The basis of their friendship had already been rocky; Even before the student council Himiko had shown her annoyance towards Tenko’s enthusiasm to be her friend….

_Maybe it would be best if I just….. Layed off the interaction for now._

_It’s not as if she really cared about you all that much._ Comes a counteracting voice.

_I don’t want to think about that right now. It’s just too much to-_

“ _God,_ these two are such liars!” 

Both Himiko and Tenko turn towards the Ultimate Supreme Leader, who shakes his head in a mock-authoritative manner. Tenko’s eyebrows scrunch but she does not speak anything into existence, knowing that the people around her are already incredibly weary of her.

“Personally, I don’t think lies are exactly a bad thing,” Kokichi continues, bouncing off of the group’s suspicion, “Let’s face it, you wouldn’t have any free will if the world was comprised with just the truth. But I just can’t look past that little stunt they pulled during the trial.”

“What stunt are you talking about?” Tsumugi questions. 

“Why, that coverup that Himiko did just for poor Tenko! Of _course_ those two didn’t see each other that night! Karate Kid over here didn’t have any alibi, so Himiko lied on her behalf!” Kokichi scratches at his chin innocently, eyes wide in malicious wonder, “My only question is why she chose to trust Tenko so blindly? Especially considering what she’s capable of…”

His eyes drift over towards the blood stain once more, dragging the class’s stares along with him, a flashing reminder of what had just happened.

Kaito is the first to shake off the memory and whips his head back towards the purple-haired boy, “Come _on_ , Kokichi, the class trial is over! You can’t keep telling people things that are fal-”

“No, he’s right…” Himiko interjects. Her eye-level has raised, first meeting Tenko’s but then turning towards her peers. Her tone hints at remorsefulness, however the Aikido Master could sense inner confidence, an overpowering air of truth, “I did lie… But Tenko had nothing to do with it.”

“Huh? B-But why!? What if Tenko had been-”

“Tenko would have _never_ betrayed me!” The mage’s voice returns in full volume, wavering with an unveiling devastation, “She’s done nothing but protect me, even when I didn’t want her to she always had! She _believed_ in me when nobody else did! So I _knew_ there was no way she could have killed Angie!”

Himiko’s shoulders have rolled back, stance wide and filled with strength, yet the noise that comes from her mouth sounds as if it was just barely holding back tears. Tenko was speechless, no matter how much she wanted to say or do something she just seemed to be frozen in place. Himiko had looked every single one of her peers directly in the eye, with a vigour so foreign that it was almost unbelievable coming from her. Finally, she reached Tenko’s, tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.

“That’s why I had to defend her _.”_ She said, voice now smaller. Her lips pursed, sealed together, almost as if she was trying her best to prevent them from trembling, “Because I needed to believe in _her_.”

Tenko felt the edge of her lips twitching upwards. Sadness still flushed through her body, yet it felt warmer. More homely. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had stood up for her, every memory she had portrayed herself as the defender, never the one being protected. It felt….nice.

 _Cute!_ Angie hums. Tenko chuckles internally. 

“But even then… I still don’t understand why all of this mushy friendship stuff is only appearing now...” Kokichi begins again slowly, words slivering out of his mouth like acid, “Was it loneliness? Had you only resorted to lying about Tenko, just because you needed somebody to cling onto after Angie?”

“Stop picking on Himiko or I’ll punch you in the throat.” Tenko warns, voice unnaturally cold and lacking feeling. As soon as the sentence escapes her mouth she regrets it, because everybody around her knows she means it now.

“I’m only asking for her benefit. I just don’t think it’s good to lie to yourself, y’know?”

The Ultimate Aikido Master turned towards the mage, who has returned to her regular, neutral expression, all traces of previous despair having been wiped from her face. Tenko assumes that her stone-faced act has come back because of the purple-haired twat who mocked her about it, an act of defiance. Or perhaps Himiko is ashamed of opening herself too much. Her little speech defending Tenko hadn’t been much in comparison to what the Aikido Master would consider an ‘emotional outburst’, but still it was a lot for the magical girl, enough for the class anyways.

Tsumugi sputters, “What are you saying!? Think about Himiko’s feelings a little bit-”

“I’m only saying this _because_ I’ve thought about it!” Snaps Kokichi, who then returns his icy glare back at the mage, “Himiko has been lying to herself about her own feelings, so she’s been holding back.” He waves his hands wildly, as if trying to get her attention, “Hey! What are you repressing! Why are you trying so hard to hold back?”

As far as Tenko could remember, Himiko had held back. It was something that she so desperately wanted to show to the girl, to teach her how to feel and vent and cry and be angry just for the sake of it. To let her know that these emotions were perfectly normal to have, something that every human had to experience, Ultimate or not.

_Am I really the best example of that now?_

She couldn’t help but feel cold, an icy sensation suddenly washing through her body, almost as if everything had shut down. Congested itself. Her body had reflexively recoiled itself, creating a barrier to ensure nothing like…. _that_ would happen again. And Tenko wasn’t opposed to it. Maybe she was wrong about all of that, _surely_ she was wrong. She shouldn’t have snapped like that. Shouldn’t have been so emotional. Shouldn’t have scared Himiko. 

She barely acknowledges the increasingly louder trail of _Guilty!_ that she could hear from a mile away. To combat it she stares upwards again, avoiding people’s stares. Avoiding Himiko’s eyes. What a hypocrite she was, avoiding her feelings like this when she had told the mage to confront her emotions before all of this had happened. Before that stupid seance. But _what_ feeling was she avoiding exactly? She was running from something, but she couldn’t place what it was. 

_It’s disappointing. Everybody is so disappointed in you._ **_Everybody._ **

She remembered so vividly what she had told Himiko. ‘Expressing your feelings is perfectly natural, you shouldn’t feel ashamed at all’. It appalled her to no end how her philosophy had reversed so easily. The amount of shame she felt over her outburst gnawed at her bones and ached her stomach.

Himiko had made no movement, staring at Tenko, waiting and looking for her to say anything. Do something. She needed to hear her voice so desperately, needed Tenko to cheer her on or say something supportively like she always had, yet her friend stayed silent. That enthusiasm was taken away. 

The mage’s bottom lip begins to wobble, her teeth gritting as if she can barely hold herself back from her tears.

“ _It’s not fair.”_ She chokes, “It’s not-”

All of the sudden her legs give out and Himiko finds herself collapsed on the floor. Tenko flinches to help her up, only for the redhead to begin wailing. It is powerful and unrestrained, devastated sobs escaping from her lips as water streamed endlessly down her face and to the tile underneath her.

“ _It’s so unfair-! It-”_ She hiccups between her cries, barely able to form a sentence, “ _I feel so alone…!”_

Himiko fans her eyes, desperate to keep them dry, but her body keeps racking with sobs, so hard the small girl trembles, “But… I gotta survive f-for Angie! I...still can’t go to where she is! But it’s so- I’m so lonely…! Everything is so _unfair-!”_ Himiko slams her fists down on the ground, having given up attempting to prevent her tears, “ _I just want my friends_ _back!!_ _I just-”_

The end of her sentence is cut short by another harsh sob. Himiko doubles over, falling into a child’s pose position, shoulders bobbing up and down as she continues to wail. Although her face was steadied on the floor, it held no effect in muffling the small girl as her screams echoed throughout the courtroom. Before Tenko knew it, her classmates around her had joined, as if persuaded to do so by the mage. They were ugly, sorrowful tears. Crying about the past, sobbing about the present, wailing about what was to happen. She turns towards Miu, who slowly descended to the floor with Himiko, legs weak as she sniffed. Behind her, Shuichi buried his face in the crook of his elbow, his body trembling with sobs. All of them cried for those they had lost, tears filled with sadness and hatred, discord and love, frustration and anger.

Tenko couldn’t find it in her to cry. No matter how much her eyes filled with tears, it just didn’t seem enough to spill over. Her head ached with the emotions she withheld.

But looking at her classmates, ones she had fought with and suffered with, so riddled with fear and sorrow and love… And Himiko being the center of it all, so desperate and longing for an answer…

The Ultimate Aikido Master finds herself crouching, knees aching, towards the floor, a simple yet cautious gesture of peace. Before she is able to fully reach out, Himiko leaps into her arms, causing the both of them to stumble backwards. The howling stifled against Tenko’s shoulders, but she could still feel her shaking, trembling.

 _Angie would have done better at consoling her. Angie at least gave her something to rely on. To believe in._ The taller girl thinks in a lonesome voice, through her pounding headache and towards the forefront of her mind, _It really should have been me._

As soon as that thought entered her brain, Tenko found herself weeping.

-=+=-

“Is she hard to carry, Gonta?”

“No, she fine.”

Gonta pauses to quickly readjust the unconscious mage on his shoulders, bouncing her upwards so that she doesn’t slip. The group paces with him, then begins again on their journey back to their dorms.

“She’s sleeping very peacefully.” K1-B0 points out, head tilted at Himiko, who’s head leaned against Gonta and mouth hung open, snoring lightly. 

“She’s all tuckered out after crying,” Kokichi sings, skipping happily behind them, “Robots sleep well after leaking their oils too, right?”

“I have told you many times that I do not use oil as my fuel source-”

Kokichi barely notices him, “But wow! That really surprised me! She passed out as soon as she stopped crying.”

Shuichi nods, eyes still puffy and red from crying, “Yeah… but she looks so peaceful sleeping like that…”

“...She probably felt better after letting it all out, don’t you think?” Maki asks.

The troupe comes to a full stop, ready to disassemble. Tenko takes one final look at them all. Every single pair of eyes had now a red glint, remnants of tears still sparsely seeping through. Overall, the mood had lightened tremendously, a cathartic aura wrapping them. She, however, couldn’t sleep without them knowing something first.

“Then, Gonta carry Himiko to her room.”

Miu erupts in a belly laugh, “Make sure you focus real good on your back, y’hear me!? You’ll need that focus if you wanna feel her little mosquito bites pokin’ ya!”

“What are you talking about?” Tenko asks, rather confused, “Himiko is _not_ a mosquito!”

“That is _definitely_ not what I meant!” Miu returns, smile wide and rather chirpy for such a dirty undertone. Tenko returns it bashfully, unaware of its true meaning.

“There’s no way he’d do such a thing… Gonta is a gentleman, after all.” Tsumugi clarifies, mainly for Tenko, who’s confusion only doubled. 

“Do wh- What does that-” She begins to notice Maki and Kaito walking in a separate direction, and quickly jogs to catch up, “Wait a sec, guys! I need to talk to you!”

The pair share a glance, obviously debating between themselves with staying or making an excuse, however ultimately they walk back towards her, completing the circle which had formed. Tenko inhales sharply, letting a beat of quiet drift.

“I’m really sorry. That meltdown was uncalled for, and completely tarnished what Neo-Aikido stands for.” She begins.

Shuichi sighs, a soft grin on his face, “Tenko, really, it’s oka-” 

“It’s not.” She continues, “Maki said that she needed to work hard in order to gain your trust, and I know I need to do that as well. I will reflect on this deeply. I want you all to be able to rely on me, so that I can rely on you.”

Kaito scratches his head, “Uh, does this also include the guys? ‘Cause you’ve made it pretty clear that you don’t want us around.”

Tenko’s face scrunches, tongue clicking as she glares. Everything she had been taught… All of her spirit allegedly being drained upon engaging in conversation with them… It certainly wasn’t as damaging as she had previously assumed, some of the degenerate men being relatively okay to communicate with. However, this trial basically reset that progress.

“I’ve changed my mind,” She concludes, “I want the _girls_ to be able to rely on me, but the boys are on their own!” She looks up and down at her robotic classmate, “K1-B0 can stay, but it’s on thin ice!”

“Thank you?” The machine replies.

“I think we should all work together so that nobody has to feel unsafe in this academy.” Shuichi states, “We’ll give you a reason to trust us, alright Tenko?”

A reason to trust them. She nearly scoffed. One of _them_ had just murdered an innocent bystander, somebody who had walked in accidentally on the preparation for a murder, a murder that _Tenko_ would have been the victim of, all for the sake of some _vile love-_

“Okay.” 

It escaped her mouth quickly. Her face twitches, obviously unsure of what she had just said, but other than that she makes no further remark to retract her statement. 

“Awesome.” Shuichi replies, smiling meekly at his tiny accomplishment. Kaito beams as well, waiting patiently for Tenko to say anything else before beginning his final statement.

“Alright, let’s all get some rest! It’s been a big day for all of us, but I’m sure that we’ll all feel better tomorrow!” He gives a valiant wave, turning on his heel, “I think I’m gonna get some night air, so… Goodnight, guys!”

A disorganized response of ‘Goodnight!’ followed after him as he began walking in the opposite direction, hand discretely covering his mouth. Shuichi nods at the group, giving his quick goodbyes, before shuffling after him, Maki trailing close behind. The seven remaining resumed their walk towards their dormitories, making light conversation to which Tenko peacefully joined. 

Himiko stirred, eyes flickering open. Upon seeing the Aikido Master walking next her, she raised her right hand, a tiny yet effective wave. Tenko’s heart fluttered as she sheepishly returned it. Content with her response, Himiko’s eyes closed once more, a silent smile forming as she began her slumber again.

The Aikido Master grasped onto that fluttering notion in her stomach all the way to her dorm, the fleeting feeling that maybe things would be okay.


	8. it's too dangerous out there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tenko walks down to the kitchen in the middle of the night to find somebody who shares the same issue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!! just some quick notes:
> 
> 1) tenko in canon is 5'5, however i can't imagine her being the same height as me and see her as quite tall so she's 5'8/5'9 in this story. every other character is their canon heights (himiko is 4'11, shuichi is 5'7, etc)  
> 2) i gave the students a pair of pajamas to wear bc i can't imagine them wearing their normal clothes to bed  
> 3) i cut this chapter off a little abruptly bc i felt like i was writing way too much but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ y'know
> 
> thank you so much for reading!!! i truly appreciate all of your kudos and comments <33

Tenko wakes up feeling like the scum of the earth.

Her body allowed her at least two hours of sleep, on and off at best, before it decided that she was to spend the rest of the night awake. Her legs thrashed, hot and cold at the same time, never finding a comfortable position under her blue duvet but considerably more uncomfortable with the blanket off. She tried all she could to calm down, but the amount of energy that balled itself in her stomach kept her hyper alert of anything that moved. The nose that rattled from the air conditioner made her flinch. Some time in the night something fell down, one of her bows that she had hastily thrown onto a shelf, and she practically screamed. It was an overreaction for sure, but as soon as a noise left her mouth she couldn’t help but continue it. She didn’t want to bury her face in her pillow to muffle it, as she was worried that averting her attention would be detrimental. And so, she had to pray that the dorms really were soundproof.

With a mighty heave of, “HAAAIIIYAH!” and a pillow chucked across the room, Tenko flings herself upwards to check her monopad. 2:15 AM. Great.

She paces, running fingers through unkempt hair. She never liked her hair all that much, always tying it back. It was an icky color.

“Angie, I know you’re there!” She yell-whispers at a corner, hands raised to chop, “Reveal yourself!”

Silence. She reckons that was why she was acting strange. Angie had decided to abandon her with no further remarks, leaving her with a simple yet repetitive warning of _run!_ before vanishing to who knows where. Surely her theory was correct, that this voice she was imagining was nothing but a stress-induced hallucination, and now that the stress (Korekiyo) was gone, it left with him. Still, something irked her. 

Tenko throws a few more kicks at the air, miscalculating and knocking over a chair, before deciding that sleeping was hopeless. She was desperately in need of _something,_ needed to feel _something…_

She needed a snack. 

She regretted it as soon as she left the safety of her room. She stood with her back against the dorm door for a few moments, neck hair raised, sudden memories rushing back. Memories of Angie, the victim of the trial which had just occurred, walking in on something horrible by accident. 

_What if that happened to you? What if someone else was planning to kill you? What if you’re struck from behind when you aren’t looking, shot in the back while you’re unaware,_ **_stabbed in the neck when you’re vulnerable-_ **

She’s nearly to the kitchen. Blinking, Tenko stares down at her sandals, which suddenly seem to have a mind of their own as they glide her silently towards the food, rendering her numb. Of course she’s still incredibly vigilant, but still Tenko feels vulnerable, as if something could appear to strike her at any given moment. Her navy pajamas felt itchy against her skin, given to her from the school and just small enough that her pants stopped mid-calf and revealed her narrow bare feet. Her long, tangled, untied hair just barely reached below the cut off and the purple sagging underneath her eyes added to her overall disoriented complexion. Even if she told herself she wouldn’t go down without a fight, she sure _looked_ like an easy target.

Stopping just before the kitchen doors, she flips around, observing anyone who may be following her to which there are none. With a quick inhale and a few encouraging punches to the air, Tenko steps inside to retrieve her snack.

Shuichi flips around with a tea kettle in hand, both shuffling to a pause as they notice the other. 

He wears his school-provided pajama set just as Tenko does, although slightly larger on his lanky body, hair ruffled and just barely out of his way. The logo for the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles was printed in a silver font on his right front pocket. He looks worse than the brunette, skin appearing even paler and sickly under the fluorescent lighting of the kitchen. The large bags under his eyes implies that he hasn’t been getting much sleep either.

“Ah- Hey, Tenko.” He whispers once the initial shock had worn off, “Sorry, I didn’t expect anyone to be awake.”

“What are you doing here? Are you planning something?” Her retaliating questions are harsh and sharp, fists balling at her side, “See, I _knew_ it-! Some degenerate male no doubt is trying to-”

Shuichi holds the kettle close to his chest, barricading himself from the girl, “N-No, nothing like that! I just came down for some tea, that’s all!” Shuichi notices Tenko glaring at the object in his hand, obviously analyzing its potential as a weapon, so he quickly places it back on its stand, “I was gonna boil the kettle but I can leave if you want, I understand-”

“To do _what,_ _attack me from behind?_ There’s no _way_ I’m letting you roam free, who knows what you could be plotting!!!” Her breathing grows increasingly more sporadic, volume strengthening and pitch heightening. She just _knew_ she walked in on something dangerous, Shuichi was going to kill her right then and there. There’s still so much that she needs to do, so many things she needs to tell Himiko, “Y-You’re just trying to catch me off guard, is that it?? _Is that it!?”_

“No! No, i-it’s not like that at all!” Shuichi’s hands fly forward in defense, leaning against the table as he tries to back away from the Aikido Master, “Please, Tenko, calm down- Other people are trying to sleep!”

Tenko swallows hard, head whirling towards the kitchen entrance, once again checking for any followers. As much as she hated, _hated,_ to admit it, Shuichi was right. She couldn’t bear being the reason that the girls didn’t receive a good night’s rest, and no matter how poorly she felt it did not give her permission to ruin their sleep. Whether these walls were soundproof or not did not matter.

Tenko positions herself sideways, easily able to monitor both Shuichi and any assailant who may attack from the doorway, inhaling deeply through her nose. Her right leg bounces as she shakes her clenched fists loose. _No need to overreact. No need to overreact. He’s gone, he’s gone. No need to run._ **_No need to run._**

“I’m really sorry I scared you Tenko, but I just thought that you wouldn’t want me here with you-- Do you want me to stay?”

Of course she didn’t. She could barely speak to him now without a coiling sensation in her gut, jabbing at her to remember her intense training outside of the academy. However, at this moment in time, the detective remaining there seemed to be the lesser of the two evils. 

_He isn’t outwardly mean like Kokichi, and he’s not a complete idiot like Kaito, so I guess he’s fairly h……...harml…….._ She couldn’t finish that thought, _This could go either way._

“You can stay…” She says through gritted teeth, “But _only_ so I can keep an eye on you _.”_

“Got it.” He replies, ruffling his hair sleepily, “Do you… Would you like a tea?”

Tenko does not respond, face scrunching unattractively as she shuffles along the wall.

Noticing hesitance, Shuichi continues with, “How about I boil the water, and then you can make your own tea. Would that be okay?”

She raises her nose at him.

“ _And_ I’ll drink mine first so you know the water is okay.” He adds.

Head still upturned, Tenko drums her fingers on the wall behind her, leg still bouncing ever so slightly as she quietened her heavy breathing. She twitches a bit more, perhaps waiting for something to happen, before nodding in agreement. Shuichi lends back a warm smile, flicking the switch and activating the kettle. It begins to hiss as it boils. The Aikido Master approaches the refrigerator at a snail’s pace, feet never leaving the ground, eyes never removed from the back of the detective’s head. Eventually she pulls out a box of leftovers, having been labeled ‘TENKO’ in bold lettering.

Her stomach churned with the thought of somebody using that label to poison _her_ food specifically. What if Korekiyo had done it, a last attempt to end her life from beyond the grave? To fool the class into believing his reign of terror was over with, when in reality he was planning one last attack on the unsuspecting Tenko?

She chucks the box in the trash.

“Um- Not a fan of seafood?” Shuichi jokes lightly, clinking his index finger against the ceramic tea cup he held. Tenko purses her lips, opting to shake her head as an answer. She had no need to explain herself to him. Still, she needed to eat something, otherwise she’d look like an idiot standing there.

Saving her from the tense silence, the kettle chimes, alerting the two in the kitchen. They both flinch simultaneously, Tenko is quick to note. Both are on edge.

Shuichi pours himself a drink quickly, the tea packet seeping into the boiling water, and then immediately steps to the side so that the Aikido Master was able to retrieve her own cup. They kept maintainable distance, stillness becoming oddly comfortable. Tenko takes a sip of her tea and it's so hot it burns her tongue.

“Ow!” She hisses, swatting the side of her mug faintly. Shuichi begins to chuckle but silences as best as he can after receiving a glare from Tenko, “Hey, don’t laugh at me!”

“Sorry.” He apologizes, a smile betraying him. He blows steam away from his tea before taking a cautious sip, wincing at the stifling heat.

“You see? I told you!” Tenko mocks, taking a celebratory sip before immediately recoiling once more at how hot it was. No matter how hard he tried, the Ultimate Detective could not hide an ugly snort.

The two return to silence, with Tenko taking one final look towards the kitchen doorway. Surely, now that her guard had dropped, somebody would emerge.

“So, why are you up this early?” Shuichi begins to make light conversation.

Tenko sharply inhales, “Why are _you_ up this early? I find a degenerate male like you sniffing around quite suspicious.”

The raven-haired boy snickers under his breath self-deprecatingly, taking a sip of his now moderately-warm tea, “I’m always down here.”

Tenko blinks, “At two in the morning?”

“I don’t sleep much.” He shrugs jokingly, however his disheveled and deteriorating exposition implies that he was not in fact telling a joke.

She can’t help but think back to the very first day in her Research Lab; Himiko and Shuichi had followed her inside, willing to learn the basics of Neo-Aikido. Immediately Shuichi proved to be a weak opponent. Physically, yes, but emotionally much more so. The Ultimate Detective was burdened with great pain, shouldering incredible torment that kept him reclusive of his feelings and was detrimental to his own health. He shied from admitting it, but felt incredibly heavy about the subject. She was easily able to body-slam him into the mat. Himiko had been similar, building walls to hide her true feelings, however Shuichi truly seemed to be bearing something hideous, something that gnawed at him from the inside out.

“Is it Kaede?” She finally says out loud. Her mouth snaps close, an audible click emitting from her teeth. 

His face visibly hardens, eyes fixed on the metal table placed in front of them. His grey eyes darken, a sorrow filling his features as the tea cup lowers itself in his still hands. As soon as she says it Tenko wishes that she hadn’t, immediately wants to take it back. She knows it was the truth, if his reaction had told her anything, but she had stepped too far in the name of progressing the conversation. Her pride told her to keep strength, to not apologize for asking a simple question, but her empathy helplessly wished to plead forgiveness.

After a moment of reflecting, Shuichi takes a deep breath, his chest rising with him. His mouth hangs open for a second, obviously wanting to answer her verbally, but the words choke in his throat. He grimaces, nods his head, and sips his tea once more.

“Yeah.” He repeats out loud, “Not just her, but…. Mainly. Yeah.”

Tenko finds herself chugging her hot tea, ignoring the burning sensation as it trailed down her throat, desperate to rid herself of the guilt. Once her cup is once again empty, she grabs at the kettle again and tips herself more water, barely waiting for the tea to seep or for it to cool as she gulps down more of it.

“Is it that obvious?” He asks. She takes a long, generous look at his complexion. His eyes were sullen and drowsy, hands clammy, splotches of stress acne sprinkling his forehead. 

“Yes.” She replies bluntly, stammering immediately afterwards. There’s a pang in her heart that roughly reminds her that she had already upset him enough, “I remember your first training session with me. You were an easily defeatable opponent! I threw you over my shoulders with little trouble!”

“Yeah, uh, thanks for that.”

“Do you remember what I told you then? You lack self-esteem, so therefore you lack strength. There was no question as to how I took you down so easily.” She locks eyes with him. Both of them share the same foggy look behind their gazes, “And... I know you two were really close friends.”

“We were.” He confirms, before clearing his throat, “We were. I guess I did take it pretty harshly.”

“Have you been up this late every night?”

“Not every night.” He shrugs, “The student council banned coming out during nighttime.”

“So….Every night _before_ that.”

A silent sip of his tea confirmed Tenko’s suspicions. The two return back to their comfortable silence, neither one wishing to break it. Neither of them seemed to want to leave either, both incredibly tired yet so awake at the same time. Shuichi finishes his first cup of tea and pours himself another one, setting the boiled water aside to fully soak as he moves towards the refrigerator. Scanning through the items he quickly settles on some leftover rice balls, the ones that Gonta and Kaito had made, desperately trying to recreate the godly onigiri that Kirumi used to cook. They weren’t exceptional by all means, and paled in comparison to the Ultimate Maid’s, but it was a great first attempt, overall. He plops two into a square bowl and throws them in the microwave.

“I just feel really bad, that’s all.” He says, the whirring of the microwave underneath his voice, “It keeps me up a lot.”

“I’ve had some nights where I couldn’t sleep, but I can’t imagine how much sleep _you’re_ missing out on.” Tenko replies. Again, she can’t help but feel bad about how she worded that.

He tilts his head in a shrug-like manner, “Well, we’re both here now, right?”

He was right. Tenko couldn’t place herself on any sort of moral pedestal, both of them were in the exact same position: groggily dragging themselves to the kitchen at 2 AM in the morning with no intentions of returning to bed. They were equals, no matter how much she opposed it, both having stepped down into the mud. Of course she couldn’t deny what Shuichi has gone through, the amount of heartbreak he has most definitely suffered through, but she still felt wrong for admitting that he should be sympathized with. Everything she’s trained for, everything she’s been taught…

_He wants you to trust him, right? Out of malice? Does he have further intentions? What if this whole pity party he was throwing was for you to feel sorry and lower your defense-_

_No, that’s mean! He obviously feels guilty, I can’t disregard th-_

_There are no exceptions! There are_ ** _no!_** **_Exceptions!_** _You don’t_ ** _get_** _to pick and choose who is trustworthy,_ ** _all_** _of them are dangerous!_ ** _All_** _of them want to kill you!_ ** _All of them want to-_**

“Hey, did I say something? You’re breathing funny again.” Shuichi moves back towards her, ignoring the microwave as it beeped, “Tenko?”

She blinks, cringing at the tear that rolls down her cheek, quickly averting her eyes and wiping them frantically. Inhaling heavily, she reaches for the kettle and pours another glass, however soon comes to realize it is empty before slamming it back on its stand. The cup trembles in her hand and she hates that all of the sudden her emotions whirred back to her, ears prickling with every breath of noise that appeared around her. She’s backtracking quickly, ashamed of how much she was crying, all while she’s standing in front of some _male_ to make it even worse. God, she’s pathetic. 

“I just feel- I shouldn’t-” She swallows the lump forming in her throat as well as her pride before muttering an almost silent, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He replies. The microwave beeps again, drilling into Tenko’s ears.

“I know that you’re hurting, and I’m very…. Sorry...”

“Oh, thank you-”

“-But don’t tell anybody I’m sympathizing with some degenerate male! You may have caught me while I was vulnerable this time, but I can assure you this will not-”

“Well, _empathize.”_ Shuichi corrects, quietly so as to not interrupt.

“-be happening anytime in th….What?”

“Sympathize means to feel sorry for. But empathize means to understand and feel sorry, from personal experience.” Shuichi finally turns to open the microwave, just as it begins to blare its alarm again, “That must be why you’re doing this, right? Because you feel the same way?”

Tenko is left speechless as the detective removes the two rice balls, now having fallen apart and obtained a rather sad appearance. His drowsy eyes stare at it, obviously disappointed, before grabbing two forks from the cabinet below him and jabbing one in each ball. He takes the first bite, blowing steam out of his mouth, then pushes the bowl forward so it sits between him and the green-eyed girl. She analyzes it for a few moments, hesitant, before eventually reaching towards the spare fork. Unaware if she was allowed, she dances the fork in between her fingers before Shuichi notices and nods at her, pushing the bowl away from him. 

“I’m definitely angry.” She answers, poking the second rice ball, “And sad. And I cry a lot, which isn’t good because whenever I cry my eyelids inflate and my face goes all bright red!” She jabs a bite into her mouth and swallows, hard, “I feel like I’m not in control of anything I feel anymore. And it _sucks_ because I want to be there for Himiko and all of the other girls! Because at _least_ Angie gave her some sort of support system that was stable, like Atua, and I just _can’t_ do that for her right now, and I always feel like I shouldn’t be here and it should have been me, and also there’s something stuck in my air conditioner and it keeps making these rattling noises-”

“You feel like you shouldn’t be here?” Shuichi repeats.

Tenko blows air out of her nose, clearly having vomited way too much information at the man. It was natural for her to chatter away with girls and girls only, but something about being in the kitchen at two in the morning, having just bawled her eyes out the day previously, and grieving with the detective who was making himself a cup of tea just felt comfortable. To think that she was so desperate for someone to vent to that she had to speak to a _man_ made her grimace, but it wasn’t a thought she held on to for too long.

Tenko shook any bad thoughts out of her head, flashing an unconfident grin, “I’m just confused, that’s all! I’ll do some more Neo-Aikido training in the morning, a-and hopefully get some rest tomorrow, and then I’ll be all good to go! Then I can hang out with Himiko more!”

The rice balls have fully collapsed now, melding into one disjointed dish, but were shrinking fast as the pair continued to eat. It was good food. Her hunger overpowered her paranoia of it being poisoned.

“If you say so, Tenko.” Shuichi takes one final bite, then tosses his fork in the bin and shoves the remaining leftovers towards the Aikido Master, “But just remember that advice you gave Himiko, okay? About how you shouldn’t hold in your emotions?”

“You have obviously taken advantage of me while I was weak! I never intended to share anything with _you_!” She spits, little malice implied in her tone.

“You don’t have to share with me, just somebody you trust. I’m sure Himiko would listen.”

He drums his fingers against the table tiredly, walking sluggishly past Tenko as he gestured at the exit with his thumb. It’s a silent question, asking without words if he was allowed to leave. She emits the tiniest nod, lips having sealed closed in deep thought. There was much to think about. Too much.

The Ultimate Detective pauses underneath the doorway, hovering in thought. He rubs the outside of his eyes with his palm before turning towards Tenko.

“I think about that a lot, too.” He admits, “That Kaede should be the one here, instead of me.”

And with that, the raven-haired teenager begins his drowsy exit towards his dorm room once more. Tenko’s eyes have fixed themselves on the remainder of the food, just a few scraps of rice piled into the corner of the box, mind wandering elsewhere. The only emotion she wished to acknowledge with the lingering feeling of relief, that somebody in this academy understood, not sympathized but _empathized_ with her. Even if he was a degenerate male, Tenko continued to pile on excuse after excuse of why it was alright to communicate with him. Her fight or flight senses, having been so high on alert on her walk there, had been switched off momentarily as she allowed herself to breathe and engage with the boy. Trusting in him. 

She cursed herself for being so naive, to immediately entrust him with her secrets and deep thoughts even after the events of the trial. She knew what men were like outside of the academy. She’s _seen_ what they were capable of, witnessed the damage first hand. They were everything she stood against, yet she found herself faced with the exception. Maybe it was his willingness to learn Neo-Aikido, or perhaps his Ultimate status, but Tenko felt safe with the detective there.

“Goodnight, Shuichi.” She calls out from behind him, “Thank you.”

He flips around, already midway down the hall, “You too. And thanks for trusting me.”

Tenko would return to her dorm room later, but for now she stood with rice on her fork, lost in her mind. There was no need to run.

-=+=-

**BING BONG, BING BONG. BING BONG, BING BONG.**

**_“This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 8 a.m., and nighttime is officially over!”_ **

Tenko stared blankly at the screen. She had been sitting on the edge of her bed, waiting for the announcement to play so that she could head to the dining hall, however her body felt heavy and pulled her down. Maybe now that nighttime had already passed her brain had decided it wanted to sleep. Nevertheless, she spent a few more minutes sitting, mind empty, before picking herself up to change into her same old attire.

She pauses in front of her standing mirror and takes a long look at herself. Her uniform suddenly looked much more saggy and ragged, hair greasy as it fell over her shoulders, eyes dark and lifeless. She takes hold of her purple headband and pushes it into her scalp maybe a little too strong, concluding that she didn’t have the energy to bother tying back her hair in the intricate pattern she usually did. As she wrapped a spare hair tie around her wrist, she caught a glance of her knuckles, scabbing over, the blood a dried brownish color. She hastily hides her hand behind her back as she turns once more into the mirror.

“You’ve _got_ this!” She says, flashing an unconvincing grin, “HaaaaaaiiiiYAH! HAAAIYAH!”

Finishing a round of air slices she turns once more towards her reflection and flashes one more smile. It twitches and falters, looking visibly strained.

“Good enough.” She says as it falls.

She steps out of her dorm, and can’t help but notice a second audible clicking of a door. Maki, having left her own room around the same time, stares upwards at the Aikido Master, who resides on the floor above her. She gives a simple yet relatively friendly wave, standing still as to make it clear she was waiting for the other girl.

“Good morning, Maki.” Tenko nods sheepishly in response, quickly rushing down the staircase. As soon as they meet, the pair begin their quiet walk towards the dining hall.

“Your hair is different today.” The Ultimate Assassin points out suddenly, breaking the silence.

“Oh, yes! I just didn’t want to make a huge fuss out of it,” She starts wrestling with the hair tie around her wrist, “But I can put it up if it’s too much of a-”

“No, I like it. It looks nice.” She returns, facial expression unwavering.

Tenko buffers, heat rising in her cheeks, “Really? U-Uh! Thank you! It means a l- Uuuuuh-”

Saving her, the pair arrive in the dining hall. There’s a clear shift in the mood as soon as they step through the doorway, the air feeling dark and heavy on Tenko’s shoulders. Sitting around the dining table, with bowls of morning breakfast already in hand, was everybody except Gonta, Shuichi, and Himiko. They barely acknowledged the assassin and the aikido master, save for Kaito flashing a welcoming smile at the ruby-eyed girl and greeting them with a buoyant, “Good morning, guys!”. Maki made her blush very obvious. Tenko could never understand actually being _attracted_ to that idiot, but wished her good luck, regardless.

Shuichi arrives minutes later, the night before clearly having taken a toll on him. His appearance had barely changed from their meeting in the kitchen, the only differences being the swap in uniform and his slightly combed hair.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Ah...yeah. Good morning.” Tsumugi replies, focus clearly elsewhere.

K1-B0 is frozen, teeth gritted, almost as if he was processing, “Good….Morning…” He choked.

The detective turns to Miu, who does nothing but emit a heavy sigh, back pressed against her chair and feet on the table. If Kirumi were here, the inventor would have been scolded immediately, however nobody seemed to care anymore. Maki maintains a brooding silence, which Tenko follows. It was only natural that the group would fall into a mourning sorrow after every trial, this time holding a deep-rooted paranoia. It was the first time that the culprit had such an irredeemable motive, such a gut-wrenching initiative to kill. The tense atmosphere would have been unbearable if not for Kaito, who’s heroic stance did not falter.

Noticing Shuichi, who had frozen in his stance, lost in deep thought, the astronaut roars, “What’s wrong, bro!? You’re not gonna eat!?”

“If you don’t eat, then Gonta will eat you instead, Shuichi.” Kokichi jokes. 

“Ah, he’ll eat me? Don’t you mean my breakfast…?” The Ultimate Detective replies.

Kaito itches his goatee, “Speaking of Gonta, where is he? I haven’t seen him this morning.” 

Tenko looks around, feeling a little silly for not noticing the gentle giant was absent from the room. Immediately she thinks the worst, speculation boiling deep in her stomach. What if he was dead? What if he was planning to do something? Of course he wouldn’t be doing anything, his absence just makes him look-

 _Guilty?_

It’s not Angie, it’s only her thoughts replicating what her voice sounds like. Even then, it throws her on edge, and all of the sudden her morning just got worse. She never imagined this morning as being anything other than depressing, maybe besides Maki’s nice compliment, but not even Kaito’s unwavering optimism could lift the mood. Tenko began wondering if she was the cause of this, like maybe her own disheartening aura was dragging every other student down with her. She slumps down in her char. The breakfast did not look so appealing.

“Heeey! You guys have no energy! You need to look alive! You’re all still teenagers!”

Himiko approaches from behind, skipping chirpily on her toes into the dining hall with a wide, bright smile. She shakes Tenko’s shoulders, something that the Ultimate Aikido Master used to do in order to encourage the smaller girl when she was noticeably drowsy, but her arms are so weak it barely rattles the brunette. The mage takes no notice of this, however, and skips around the table towards her own breakfast, tapping K1-B0 on the head as she passes. She’s met with a wave of confused good mornings, with Miu responding once more with a heavy sigh.

“H-Himiko?” Shuichi mutters as he reaches the table.

“Your ‘good mornings’ are too quiet! It’s cuz you’re so quiet that you feel down!”

Miu inhales dramatically, releasing a mighty, overexaggerated sigh.

“I didn’t mean you should sigh louder!”

“U-Uh, Himiko? You seem very happy today!” Tenko stutters, baffled at the newfound mage’s energy. Himiko turns to Tenko, smiling from ear to ear. The sight alone made the brunette happier, her own grin sneaking up on her.

Maki squints, trying to analyze what was in front of her, “It’s weird. I thought you’d be the most depressed out of all of us.” 

Himiko practically jumps into her chair, facial expression flickering for a moment as she admits, “Of course… I’m depressed. This is the most depressed I’ve been in all my two hundred million years.”

Tsumugi’s quite mumble of, “T-Two hundred….million years?” Is quickly overtaken by Tenko’s gob-smacked reaction of, “ _Wow, two hundred million years!?_ You must know so much!!”

“That I do, my friend.” She replies to the brunette in a light-heartedly cocky manner, “But...being depressed won’t help those died rest in peace… Angie, too. Besides, I’ve learned that there are **people here who need me**! So-!” She bounces upwards, now standing on her chair to gain height, “In order to do what’s best for everyone and make those deaths have meaning, I’ve decided to _live my life with positivity_!!!”

After screaming her last statement, Himiko squats on her chair, out of breath. Tenko can clearly see her sweating, this must have been the most amount of energy she has put into anything in a while.

“S-So anyway… Please… t-take care of the… new me…”

“You’re out of breath already. You’re going full speed right out of the gate!” Kaito remarks.

“I’ll do my very best to protect this new you, Himiko! I am very proud of you for finally emerging from your shell!” Tenko beams. Himiko looks up from her knees, a tired smile plastered on her face.

“She’s very right! Those of us left need to look to the future and help each other. For all the others’ sakes.” Tsumugi says, visibly brightening.

Kokichi picks up his empty bowl, standing in celebration, “Yeah! Let’s cheer up and work hard! This game is just getting started!”

Of course, when _he_ says it, it just sounds ominous. But Tenko pushes that gut feeling down as hard as she can muster. Even if she wasn’t completely back to normal yet, she wanted to do well for Himiko’s sake.

Shuichi is the only one to pick up what exactly the Ultimate Supreme Leader had said, “Game?”

“Huh? Isn’t that what we were talking about?” His face darkens, “Ughhh...but now that there’s less people, I might...be the next victim…”

Something about the way he said it, emphasising the words ‘next victim’, made Tenko’s stomach knot.

“Woooow, so exciting! But I definitely don’t wanna die! Well, I guess that’s the same for everyone else!”

He giggles childishly, suspiciously happy. Tenko’s mind raced with the sudden reminders of death, of ‘next victims’, of her need for survival, of her fear of pain…

“You’re still saying crap like that at a time like--”

Kaito is interrupted by the door slamming open. Tenko is knocked out of her chair, fighting stance activated, positioning herself in front of the mage with her hands acting as a defensive barrier. In rushes Gonta, sweat running down his forehead, oversized hands waving wildly to attract the rest of the group’s attention.

“Everyone!” He begins without any formal greeting, “This serious!”

The Ultimate Aikido Master has barely eaten two bites of her food yet already had been thrown into yet another school crisis.


	9. first, let's breathe in! and breathe out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tenko distances herself, flashbacks occur, miu freaks out.

**Th s wor d s ine o ic ma**

What an odd collage of letters it was.

Gonta had presented his monopad to the dining hall, a photo capturing the new graffiti written in stone. They had pondered it briefly, nobody able to decode it, all at loss for an answer. Just another trouble to add to Tenko’s ever growing list of minor inconveniences which will eventually lead to a nervous breakdown. 

There’s confused banter around her as Gonta finally stashes his monopad. Tenko attempts to focus on eating her breakfast. She had already eaten in the middle of the night, but she didn’t want to worry anybody by making it seem as if she was skipping meals. She remembered feeling waves of concern over the girls skipping meals, particularly Kirumi, who would be so busy feeding everybody else that she had forgotten her own breakfast. 

Even if those around her didn’t care about small things like eating in the morning, Tenko made sure to choke down a few more bites, no matter how much her body recoiled at the texture. 

If she sticks to her regular routine, things would go back to normal.

Not even a few moments later, Monokuma and his Monocubs appear again, a jumble of items in hand. Tenko was barely able to process their shape when Kokichi, the brat he was, snatches the motive key card out of Monokuma’s paws and makes a dash for it out of the dining hall. Kaito sprints after him and Tenko, naturally, chases after him as well, splitting with the astronaut at a fork in the hallway, which leads us to the present where she currently resides. Wandering hopelessly through some unknown hallway. This academy was huge.

“Kokichi, you little degenerate! Come back so I can destroy you!” She yells, voice echoing. Of course, not _destroy_ like she did with Kiyo…...just maybe one punch across the face.

There’s no reply. The atmosphere feels almost as if it was beginning to coil around her, the sudden solitude crawling in her skin. 

“J-Jeez! Wait up! You run so...so fast!!”

Tenko whirls herself around. Just dodging a corner and running towards the girl was Miu, an absolutely exhausted Himiko trailing behind.

Approaching the Ultimate Aikido Master, panting heavily, Miu begins with an exasperated, “Jesus fuckin’ Christ! How long are your goddamn legs!? You must have a lot of stamina…”

“Hello, guys! I didn’t know you were following me…” Tenko answers with little fluctuation in her voice, tone still strong despite running for who knows how long, “Kaito and that _degenerate_ went the other way.”

“We were following _you_ , damn it!!” Miu answers, inhaling another greedy gulp of air, “Himiko practically dragged me outta that dining hall!!”

“I didn’t want….” A deep inhale between Himiko’s words, “You to run off….” Another tired pant, “Too far….”

Tenko pulls the hair tie off from around her wrist, strangling her hair into a high ponytail to distract herself from the blush creeping up on her cheeks, “W-Well, I’m glad that you two were able to bond over this mutual exercise, and I’m very glad that you thought about me!”

“There was nothing _‘mutual’_ about it! I got dragged here against my will!!” Miu retorts, swatting sweat off her forehead.

“But….you were the first one to get here….”

Miu jerks back, lower lip pouting, “Well I…! Uugh…...I didn’t want her to _beat_ me…!”

“It was no wonder why she agreed so easily… I used a powerful persuasion spell on her!” Himiko muses between wheezes, arms flaring dramatically, “She was no match for my magic!”

Tenko practically beams, eyes widening, “Holy cow!! Did you really use your magic on Miu? Can you do me next?”

“And _that’s_ what she sa-”

“I need to recharge my mana, first…. This whole energy thing is very…… Tiring……” 

Tenko is elated that the mage wanted to spend time with her, excited beyond words that she was willingly engaging with her without the Ultimate Aikido Master being the first to converse. However, she understood that boundaries were needed to ensure that Himiko is not harmed. Tenko is unstable, she knows that she is, so the best precaution is social distance.

“Well, rest up!” Tenko dismisses, speed-walking past the pair. She’s almost instantly stopped by Miu, who grabs her arm.

“Hey, hey, hey, where do ya think you’re goin’?” She interrogates.

Tenko nervously plays with her ponytail, narrowly avoiding eye contact, “Uh, to find Kokichi!”

She turns to run again but is once more grabbed by the peeved Ultimate Inventor, who mightily grips her elbow, “Nuh uh, you’re stuck with us, missy! We’re gonna search the place for more a’ those Research Labs!”

“Yeah, th-that’s right! Shuichi has the items that Monokuma gave us, so we need to look for anything of importance.” Himiko adds.

“And besides, I’m sure Kaito’s got that little purple shithead all under ropes!”

Her mouth hangs open for a clear minute, wanting to say something along the lines of the astronaut being unreliable because of his sex, but she finds herself silent. Her mouth practically forbids her from continuing the conversation, despite the endless plethora of lines she wished to say out loud. She nods.

“The hell’s got you all silent? I thought you got excited around big women!” Miu jokes, to which Tenko noticeably ruffles. 

“I-I..! Lets g- Let’s go already…! It- You- No I-”

Blubbering the entire trip there, Tenko shuffles alongside the Ultimate Mage and the Ultimate Inventor towards the newly implemented fifth floor. It mimicked a grand chapel, from it’s regal glass stained window which allowed the outside light to spear through the otherwise dark halls, to the juxtaposing Monokuma statues that towered over the poor Aikido Master, roughly seven times her height. Chatting amongst themselves, just a few meters away from the Monokuma statue with not one, but three pairs of angel wings, was Shuichi and Tsumugi. The Ultimate Cosplayer, upon seeing the group of three, gives a plain wave, before turning back towards the conversation.

“That door over there is just plain suspicious. Could it be…” Her voice fades out as she turns their back towards them.

“It looks like Shuichi and Tsumugi have got that room covered….” Himiko begins. She turns to her right, noticing Maki run up the stairs, immediately reaching the conclusion that the left side of the room was being investigated and turns in the opposite direction, “And I guess Maki has the right hall…”

“Bah, fuck it. Let’s just head back down to the courtyard. I wanna take a’ look at all that freaky maintenance shit they’ve got goin’ on.” As quickly as she stepped foot on the fifth floor, Miu loses interest just as fast, beginning her descent to the courtyard. Tsumugi and Shuichi have already entered what could only be assumed as the Ultimate Cosplayer’s Research Lab, leaving Tenko and Himiko alone. 

A past Tenko would have peed herself being alone with such an incredible idol such as the Ultimate Mage, however presently she couldn’t help but feel a sense of irregularity, something not feeling right. She found her attentioned glued towards the lingering assassin. The Aikido Master had just barely seen a flash of her dark brown hair turn a corner before alarm bells began to ring in her mind.

Himiko waits patiently, left eyebrow raised.

“Are you okay?”

The voice snaps Tenko out of her thoughts abruptly, “Y-Yes! Sorry, I thought you would have left with Miu…”

“It’s not like I’m trying to leave you behind...”

“I would never say that! It- It’s just you never really… I just thought you’d want to spend more time with her instead of me, that’s all.” Tenko looks back to the hall Maki had slipped into. The phrase had silenced the duo. However dreary the implications, it was the truth.

Tenko gives her a warm smile, as warm as she could muster, and begins softly, “I’ve heard you loud and clear: you want some space, and that’s alright! This time I’ll listen, I promise!”

There’s a clear air of uncertainty between them, a noticeable distance. If this is what’s best, why does Tenko feel so guilty? Why does it feel wrong?

Himiko seemed confused, clearly jostled by this newfound space, “Maybe that’s what I _used_ to say, but I’m worr-”

“I understand now, Himiko, I will respect your boundaries!” Tenko begins to take off towards the suspicious hallway, desperate to escape the conversation as well as worried about the assassin’s wellbeing, “I’m gonna go check on Maki!”

“Wait-!” Himiko is just barely able to say before the brunette takes off, sprinting through the fifth floor and towards the archway that the assassin had disappeared into. 

Leaving Himiko alone was especially bold coming from her, sure she had sworn to defend all of the ladies in the academy, but she was _incredibly_ protective of Himiko in general. To flip herself around, to agree that the best way to ensure Himiko’s emotional and physical wellbeing was to _leave_ her, was some sort of cruel irony. A malicious joke. Tenko kept her head up high by ensuring herself that this would only be until the two of them could work on themselves mentally. The thought of never seeing Himiko again might make her cry.

The Aikido Master sways her attention towards Maki and the hallway. She had walked in there all alone, what if something bad had happened to her? What if someone was waiting for her? Maki has just waltzed directly into the line of danger! 

But the hallway kept getting darker and longer… and the beams hover over her menacingly… and suddenly she doesn’t feel so safe.

“Uh… M-Maki? Is everything alright in there?” Tenko calls out.

Pausing for a few seconds, Maki finally replies, “I’m over here, Tenko.”

“Oh, good! Are you okay? I don’t want you walking into something dangerous!”

“I’m alright, just investigating this door,” The emerald-eyed girl reaches the source of the voice, who was peering upwards at a locked entrance, “On an unrelated note, I believe Himiko is looking for you.”

“Right, I’ve already met up with her! Her, Miu and I came up here together but they’re both heading back to the courtyard now.”

“You….Let Himiko go on her own?” Maki replies, hints of surprise littering her features.

“W-Well, Miu was there with her! There was nothing there threatening her safety!” She buffers to think, “Oh no, _was there?_ Oh crap, I didn’t realize! I better go-”

“No, there’s not. I was just surprised you would willingly part with Himiko, that’s all.”

“What does that mean?”

She shifts her eyes between the Aikido Master’s gaze and the locked door, “...Nothing.”

It certainly implied something. Tenko blinks past it, allowing the comment to fly over her head. It’s clear that Maki believes that to be the end of the conversation, abstaining from talking as she moves forward to shove open the door. It creaks as if it had been rusting in that position for ages, the overpowering smell of old book wafting through the corridor.

“Hm. This must be Shuichi’s Research Lab.” 

“It must be my what?” As if cued, Shuichi enters, a cocktail drink in his hand, “Oh, Tenko! Himiko is looking for you.”

“I….I know that, I……..” Tenko’s guilt suddenly rises tenfold. She found it shocking how Himiko had told _more_ than one person she was looking for her. The mage must have searched for a bit. 

_You’re putting her through so much trouble! Stop being such a bother, you idiot! Stop it right now!_

“Is that alcoholic?” Maki asks, gesturing towards the glass in the detective’s hands.

“Yeah, want some?”

She shrugs, “Sure.”

“G- _Guys!!!_ ” Tenko yells, stepping forward towards the pair as they share the beverage, “You can’t be _drinking!!_ I won’t allow you to get her drunk just so you can take advantage of her, _degenerate scum!!_ ”

“It’s all good, Tenko. Tsumugi made it in her Ultimate Lab. Wouldn’t want it to go to waste.” He accepts the glass back from Maki, who had just taken a sip, “.....uh, do you want a-”

“ _Absolutely not!!!!!_ ”

“Noted.” 

-=+=-

Tenko finds herself back in the dining hall not too long after investigating Shuichi’s Ultimate Research Lab. Maki and Shuichi chat amongst themselves quite comfortably, unusually so for the Ultimate Assassin, while Tenko sat silent in one of the metal chairs. At first she had tried her best to join in with the conversation, however the pair seemed so much more equipped to gossip amongst themselves while Tenko struggled to find any points where she could butt in. She had given up trying to talk to them a while ago. All of her mutters came out awkwardly and she felt excluded long before they had gotten to the dining hall. 

Gonta and Tsumugi walked in separately yet not too far away from each other. Miu trailed seductively behind K1-B0, who was obviously riddled with discomfort, while Himiko entered with a jug of water in one hand and a stack of glasses in the other. As soon as the jug was placed in the center of the table, almost everybody reached for a drink. K1-B0 was given a cup amidst the flurry but quite obviously couldn’t swallow it, so he held the glass in his hand awkwardly. Tenko abstained from grabbing a drink. Something in her stomach churned, lingering paranoia. 

Noticing she didn’t have a drink, Himiko politely poured her one as the class sat down for their recap. Tenko thanked her, cheeks burning hot, mentally swatting herself for letting her face get so red.

Kaito walks in, clothes stained with sweat, clearly out of breath, “Alright, looks like everyone’s here. Let’s get started.”

Kokichi was nowhere to be found.

“Oh, what about Kokichi?” Gonta questions, passing Kaito a cup of water. The Ultimate Astronaut accepts the drink greedily and downs it in one gulp.

“Forget about him! It’s his fault for messing around like that!”

“So… You couldn’t catch up to him?” Tenko clarifies. Kaito blanks, clearly defensive, however can’t come up with anything as an excuse. His silence sends a chill down her spine. Kokichi was running amok, the key card and a motive in his grasp. Who knows what he was doing, what that little degenerate was _scheming,_ “I’m gonna go find him-”

Shuichi is quick to stop her, “Wait, Tenko, let’s recap everything we know first-”

“Well _somebody_ here has to find him!! I’ll figure out where he’s hiding, and I’ll-” She pauses before saying anything along the lines of ‘beat him up’, well aware of her scabbing knuckles, “.....Make sure he hands over the key card!”

“I’m sure everything’s fine, I’ll look for him after we’re finished!” Kaito remarks.

“Yes, Gonta also promise to find Kokichi after meeting!” The Entomologist proposes, right pinky raised in a silent swear. Tenko squints at the two men, not entirely willing to entrust them with this task, but nods nevertheless. 

“He must be a real pro at hide-and-seek.” Himiko says, glass of water nestled daintily in her hands, “I magically looked all over the school, but he was nowhere to be found.”

“M-Magically?” Tsumugi stutters. Tenko nearly spoke in astonishment, however she clamps her mouth shut before doing so. If anybody, Shuichi had definitely noticed that.

“No one can find him, huh?” The detective says.

Maki bites at her thumb’s nail. It’s a subtle nervous habit of hers that the Ultimate Aikido Master had noticed the assassin developing in her time here; whenever a situation proved to be rather tense Tenko would look over and find the ruby-eyed girl gnawing anxiously at her nails. It was her way of expressing unease, considering how fixed her facial expressions usually were, “He might’ve used the motive card key to enter a place we’re unaware of.” 

“Do you think that’s where the real motive is being kept?” K1-B0’s talk of motive made Tenko’s stomach ache, “Either way, it’s worrisome.”

“Heh, next time I see him, I just gotta catch him and ask.” Kaito says.

Tenko can barely prevent herself from rolling her eyes, “What makes you think you can catch him? You just clearly lost him!!”

“Wh- You were chasing him with me! You lost him too!!”

“I got _lost_ you degener-”

“Flashback light!!!” Himiko fiercely interrupts, pushing the contraption forward with a mighty _Clunk!_  
  
The class stares at the flashlight, lost in deep thought as the room falls into stillness.

“I’m still… uneasy about these Flashback Lights… Are they really okay to use?” Tsumugi mumbles. 

Tenko recalled the last time the invention had been used, the unsettling memories flooding back in chunks. Her very own funeral. Back then it was unnerving, certainly, to see her sullen portrait set carefully beside her classmate’s, candles illuminating the scene. But now, after certain…. _Events_ had transpired, the malicious picture of her own early funeral, her life having been cut short, knocked the air out of her. Was it too late now to ask Himiko to hold her hand? 

_Don’t be clingy. Stop being annoying._

Tenko squirms in her chair, wringing her fingers.

“Well, if we don’t use them, our memories will never come back, y’know?” Himiko downs her water and slams the glass on the table, making the Aikido Master twitch, “So we’ve got no choice but to use it! The memory we get from this is our only clue!”

“I agree with fish dicks over here!” Miu cracks light-heartedly. 

“F-Fish dicks!?” Tenko shouts back accusingly. The Ultimate Inventor’s smug grin only widens.

“Who are you calling a chunk of breaded fish??” Himiko has stuck up for herself, and was in no need of protection despite her complete lack of recognition of what Miu had really called her.

“Ahahaha! For somebody who looks like canned tuna, you make some pretty good comebacks.”

Tenko’s neck snaps so quickly towards the source of the voice she may have given herself whiplash, eyes practically popping out her skull in ire. At the entrance of the dining hall, Kokichi Ouma strides in, hands empty and stance cocky. The Aikido Master is the first one to her feet, followed by The Ultimate Astronaut, who’s nostrils flared with indignation.

“Who are you calling a wad of shredded fish!?” Tenko was shocked at Himiko’s level of power, “Wait...Kokichi??”

“I knew you’d find us here...but only because it’s you.” Maki says.

“Thanks for the compliments!” Kokichi smirks, flipping purple hair over his shoulder in a childish manner, “So, why are all my merry friends gathered here?”

“ _Don’t_ address us as your friends, degenerate!” Tenko retorts rather harshly. 

Shuichi quickly interrupts, demanding the card key with his hand held out expectantly. To the crowd’s general dismay and horror, Kokichi admits he had little success with the item, having given up using it after a series of trial and error. Where the key card was, nobody was certain. 

It was clear that the purple man had little interest in continuing with this subject, as he quickly jumped for the flashback light with a mighty, "Oh, hey, the flashback light! Lemme see that-"

Tenko swats his hand away harshly, rough enough to leave the skin pink, "Absolutely not! I would rather _anybody_ but _you_ do this."

“Oh, please, Kaito? He doesn’t have the balls to turn on the switch-”

Kaito, one step ahead of him, snatches it from the table. Tenko has little time to react, a wave of panic sticking her to the ground. The thought hits her suddenly. 

_I don’t want the memories. I’m not ready. I don’t-_

“Of course I do!!” Kaito yells, thumbing the switch hard. The world erupts in a blinding white light, the sudden mem͇̝͝͝ȏ͜r͕͚̒͗ĩ̞̼̯͞͞e̫̟̦͗̈́̆s̻̫͗̉-

-=+=-

 _“Attention all citizens of_ **_[REDACTED],_ ** _this is an emergency broadcast from the_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _government. The current crisis has reached a deadly status, with the meteorites taking nearly ten thousand lives in Japan today.”_

_The screen flickers to a live recording, broadcasting a ruinous city. Flares of meteorites shot through the sky, destroying buildings, small businesses, family homes. The camera did not shy away from recording the sheer terror of the citizens, the countless screams as they ran towards safety, burrowing in nearby shops, stranger’s houses, and even a local bowling alley which had a sturdy bunker. The film quickly shutters as it accidentally films a woman being crushed underneath a fallen telephone pole. The cameraman can’t hold in his own horrified scream, his walk turning into a sprint as he ducked away from the rubble caving in around him. His footage quickly cuts out before the camera could film debris from a nextdoor house smashing against his skull._

_“We strongly encourage those who wish to participate in protests to abstain until these meteorites have been cleared.”_

_Another transition to a different street, this time pouring with a restless crowd. Riots have broken out, people grabbing old beer bottles off of the streets and slinging bats over their shoulders, intent on harm. A pair of men had started throwing printed sermons out onto the streets, plastering the road with its text. A large group, no less than a hundred people with civilians continuing to run out of their homes to join, blocked oncoming traffic, waving picket-signs and chanting in unison. At the front of the line held a handmade banner, the words ‘Humanity Should Burn in Hell’ written passionately over it._

_”Developments of the Gofer Project are still in works, however we urge all citizens to remain indoors. I repeat, remain indoo-”_

_Tenko clicks off her phone, the news report shutting with it. With a disgruntled sigh she chucks the device into her locker, slamming it closed before walking silently to her next class._

-=+=-

-f̬̝̲̌̽̕̚̕͜͢l̛̛̘͉̝͚͒̈ô͕̫͡o̕͟d̩̰̗͓̓̓̈̒ing in unannounced with…..

Tenko’s legs collapse underneath her and she just barely manages to slump back into her metal chair without missing it entirely. Something wet runs down her face yet her body feels so numb that it can’t distinguish whether it’s sweat or her own tears. Her hands are vibrating uncontrollably, headache and nausea pulsing through her body, no part of her prepared to inhale this sudden onslaught of memory. It seems that her peers had felt the same way, all of them sharing the same expression of distress.

The most worrisome was the Ultimate Inventor, who had crumpled to the floor. Her eyes were wide, chest heaving, a stark contrast to the otherwise vulgar and eccentric girl she usually was.

“What happened with the meteorites!?” Shuichi yells in utter shock. The Aikido Master blinks furiously, trying with all her might to focus back in on her surroundings. 

_Don’t let your mind wander too far. Don’t let your mind wander too far._

K1-B0 shutters, or at least replicates a shutter, “I remember… TV news and the Internet talkin’ non-stop about those meteorites!”

“There was a bunch of damage where I lived… People said it was only a matter of time…” Tsumugi clutches her arms, trembling softly, eyes glassy and staring outwards at nothing. 

_Yours was only a news report… Who knows what Tsumugi had to witness first hand._

“There were also a bunch of weird groups that started to show up in the streets,” Kaito’s voice remained rather shaky despite his futile attempts of strengthening his posture, “As the meteorites got worse, more people started saying it was the end of the world…”

“Gonta hear that, too! Unless someone does something, world will end!”

The world… will _end?_ It had never once crossed Tenko’s mind that the outside world might not be waiting for her if she were to ever escape from the academy, had not occurred that her family would not _be there to_ ….. It repulsed her, the harrowing idea that despite struggling and suffering for so long inside this prison they reside in that they would receive no sense of peace outside. She worries for her family, anxiously scratching at the scabs on her knuckles, picking at them until they bleed once more. What did it all mean? She had been so persistent before in not wanting to receive new memories, not being prepared for any foreign information, however now she longed for an answer. She needed more. She _needed to get out of here._

The words “Gofer Project” appear again, the classmates spouting theory after theory of what it could all possibly mean, how it could all possibly connect with the funeral and The Hunt. Tenko leans forward, legs still too shaky to stand, and begins pouring glass after glass for her fellow students. The repetitive movement becomes a miniscule comfort. Eventually she has to stand up, however, as Tsumugi had barely even noticed that a cup of water was being extended towards her. 

The last glass of water was for the Ultimate Inventor. Upon approaching, Miu made no sign of movement. Tenko was already cautious, but the blonde’s hollow eyes, reaching outwards at nothing, shook her to her very core.

Miu began muttering something under her breath, quivering and inaudible.

“Miu…?” Shuichi says, alerting the rest of the group towards her. Tenko nearly scolds him right there. Of course she doesn’t need attention right now.

To her shock, the inventor breathed out an airy laugh, “Mankind deserves damnation…”

With newfound energy, Miu smacks Tenko’s outstretched hand, causing the glass she was holding to fly outwards. Water splashes all over Kaito’s shoes, the shattering noise of glass snapping any daydreamers out of their thoughts.

“ _Fuck that!_ ” She yells, desperate and afraid, “We’re already damned here!! _Being stuck here with you losers is the worst hell there is!!”_

Himiko’s concerned gaze turns into an almost maternal scowl, “The ‘you losers’ part… wasn’t necessary.”

“Sh-Shut up!” She snaps. She begins grasping at anything around her, hopelessly trying to pull herself up in her frenzied state. At one point, she grabs hold of Tenko’s leg, pulling herself towards the Aikido Master, “I’m tired of this!! Let us outta here!! _Let us out!!”_

The brunette can’t help but gasp as Miu leaves an angry gash on her leg, a vertical scratch on her thigh, “Miu, it’s okay, really! It’s going to be okay!”

“C’mon, _don’t leave us in here!! Pull us out!!”_

“She seems really upset!” Tsumugi points out the obvious.

“Miu, calm down! It’s okay! Gonta will protect you!” The entomologist steps forward.

Tenko pats Miu’s head gently. At first it’s met with clear irritation, however seeming as how the inventor had attached herself to the brunette’s leg she had no choice but to warm up to it.

“I-I think I should take her back to her room!” Tenko offers, disheartening looking down at the heaving blonde, “Can someone come with me?”

She glances over at Himiko. It’s accidental, clearly out of habit, but in this moment of panic she seems to be the only one that the green-eyed girl could confide in. The red-haired mage was looking right back at her, already prepared to assist in any way she possibly could.

“I will.” She agrees, setting her cup down on the table and walking over to where Miu lay in a crumpled heap. 

Tenko nods, grateful, “Thank you, Himiko.” She turns back to the girl at her side, “You hear that, Miu? We’re gonna go back to your room now, okay?”

Miu sputters out a few more curses, shaking her head wildly, but ultimately agrees to being moved, however slowly. With the assistance of Gonta and Tenko by her side, she is able to stand back up, head down and staring frantically at the floor. The Aikido Master saw many similarities between herself and the state that the inventor was in now, the anguish and agitation that collapsed in on you all at once. If she could do anything to relieve just a fraction of her panic, Tenko would.

_Empathy. Wasn’t that it?_

As the trio departs, Tenko can’t help but overhear a fading, “It’ll be okay, Shuichi. Just a little more…” from Kokichi. 

She wishes to ask more about that but the voicelessness of her companions choked any need for explanation. Instead, to prevent her mind from wandering too far, she focused on the sounds of their footsteps. Himiko’s were silent, as if she was stepping on her toes. They never were distracting, and always allowed the mage to make unannounced entrance’s. Miu’s dragged against the floor, hobbling and sulking. Tenko’s were loud and clunky, legs long and awkward, a line of blood trickling from her new cut-

Oh, crap. She didn’t realize it was that bad. Now she had two places to worry about scarring. And she was so sensitive to pain, too. 

Miu’s dorm, fortunately, was on the first floor. They reached her pixelated avatar, waiting as the inventor scrambled for her keys.

As the tiny group enters her room, Tenko feels a little less weary of who may be waiting for her. The red-haired girl had already been so much kinder towards her, a new energy coming from some epiphany she had overnight. The same night the mage realized she needed to try harder, Tenko came to terms with trying less. 

Even though, maybe sticking with a group was the smart thing to do. She had already shoved her feelings aside for more rational, however paranoid, thinking, but her brain was telling her to keep there. Stay there. Don’t move. Don’t _run._

_Run? Run run run run run?_

_Oh, god._

Tenko skips into the room a little too quickly, causing the distressed girl in her arms to stumble alongside her. Of all places, now was _not_ the time. Now was _not_ the time.

 _Oh, Atua!_ Angie corrects from Tenko's previous internal statement, _Praise be!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tenko says NO to alcohol and drugs


	10. i'm gonna keep believing in himiko!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tenko is very stressed about this whole angie thing so she tells himiko

“Is it bleeding still?”

Tenko dabs at the scar on her leg with the wet toilet paper she yanked from Miu’s bathroom. The trickle of blood had long since been wiped away already, however she found herself dragging the make-shift cloth over the scratch hypnotically. Her reflection stares back at her in the mirror, lost in thought.

“No.” She replies, letting the word drift on her tongue for a moment. She could only hope that the mage had heard it, as she was sitting on Miu’s bed. Despite the girls being in two different rooms, Tenko was well aware that she was not alone in the bathroom.

_ Have you considered donating blood to Atua? _ Angie says. Her long sentences were especially foreign, the words choppy as if they were exhausting to recall.  _ Don’t leave! Don’t leave!!! _

Tenko shakes her head, both as a response and to clear her mind. First she told her to run, now she told her to stay still. How paradoxical. 

“Why not?” She hisses through her teeth, “ _ Tell _ me why, and then I  _ won’t!” _

_ Don’t leave! _ Angie says. Tenko feels her fists clenching reflexively, so much in fact that she wrings the wet toilet paper in her hand until water streamed down the side of her thigh. Anxiously, her fingers tense as she tries with all of her might to prevent herself from itching at the scar. 

Himiko appears at the doorway, scratching behind her ear, “Did you say yes?”

“No!” Tenko repeats, chucking the wet toilet paper into the toilet and hitting the flush with her foot, “It should be alright, now.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it’s fine! I promise!”

_ Hello, Himiko! _ Angie says,  _ Don’t leave! _

_ Please don’t talk. _ Tenko replies,  _ I’m not in danger. I’m not. _

_ Maybe! _ Angie says, cheerfully despite how ominous the phrase was.

Tenko leaves the restroom wordlessly, brushing past Himiko gingerly and quickly scanning the room they resided in. Papers upon papers were tacked onto the walls, screws and bolts littered the floor like fallen confetti. It was a scattered room with a work desk, lamp left on and a chair pushed so far away from the table it sat in the opposite corner. A couch, coffee table, and TV set created a tiny “living room”. Nothing stood out that could be of serious potential harm, maybe the sharpened pencils sitting on her nightstand or the heavy junked contraption leaning against the far wall. Miu lay on her bed, face-down, expression unreadable. Her fingers were twitching, but other than that she was completely still.

_ Miu is alive,  _ she told herself,  _ There’s nothing here that could hurt her. _

As an extra precaution, Tenko looks up at the ceiling, images of a certain sharp object hanging above her. Instead of a sickle, Miu had drawn pictures of brilliantly designed robots surrounded by stars and had attached them to the roof, watching over the girl as she slept. It was something to look towards, she guessed. A future for her to look forward to each day.

“What are you... looking for?” Himiko asks, peering out of the bathroom. Even at the sound of her voice, Miu does not look up. Of course the Aikido Master is worried about her, however the inventor's breathing seems to have reached a steady tempo. Tenko tilts her head.

“Nothing, I guess.”

_ Don’t leave! Please.  _ Angie whispers, as if lowering her volume would help at all.

“ _ What do you mean?” _ Tenko whistles back, irritated.

“Nyeh…?” Himiko reaches her side, having to crane her neck upwards to meet her eye-level, “What are you-” She dismisses the question quickly, instead checking around to make sure nobody else was in the room with them.

Tenko needed to pull this whole Angie situation under ropes. If anybody else caught her talking to herself they might declare her mentally unstable. I mean, it’s not like she was  _ stable _ , but she wasn’t  _ completely insane _ , if that made any sense. Not completely insane like Ko….  _ him. _

The mage tugs at her turquoise sleeve, motioning her to look down into her copper eyes, “I’d like to talk to you.”

“T-Talk?” Oh, she was in trouble. Himiko hated her.  _ Nice _ ,  _ Tenko, you’ve made her hate you! _ “Sure! I mean, once we get back to everyone else-”

“No, as in-- us two. Right now.” It was clear she was the slightest bit agitated, so out of the loop of what was happening that it began to peer through as annoyance. 

“Well-”

Miu shifts, causing the pair to turn immediately towards her, deers caught in headlights, “Hey, gang. Normally I’d encourage this but can y’all get a fuckin’ room?” With minimal effort, her head hits her pillow once more and she abruptly silences. 

Tenko and Himiko mumble their apologies. The shuffle towards the door was done with incredible awkwardness, both trying their hardest to avoid noise. Tenko is first to the door, reaching out for the handle just before a blaring  _ NO! _ comes from Angie.  _ No no nonnonono no oh no nono.  _

White begins reaching from the corner of her eyes. The words pounded against her skull, a level of dire certainty pulsing through her veins. She hated being bossed around by this faceless voice, but at the same time she couldn’t help but cave into this fanatic anxiety that gnawed under her skin. 

“Actually, maybe we shouldn’t be leaving her alone!” Tenko says out loud, eyes portraying her wild panic, “Let’s stay here!”

Both Himiko and Miu echo each other with a quick, “No”, the mage opening the door to exit the room. Angie, or at least her irritating voice, increases in volume. Her constant demands of  _ don’t leave don’t leave don’t leave _ did not seem optional. The opposition however, the peeved inventor who was now craning her neck just to give Tenko a dirty look, was also fairly convincing.

Himiko grabs at Tenko’s arm, her hand so tiny it barely felt like anything, “She’ll be okay, Tenk-”

“PLEASE fuckin’ leave.” Miu announces, malice laced in the word ‘please’.

“Well- Okay. Okay.” Tenko says, disregarding the trumpeting noises and choking them down as much as she could muster. The white clouding her vision impaired her ability to walk properly, as if her vision increasingly grew worse the farther out of the room she walked. The voices muffled around her until all she could hear, booming in her ears, was the Ultimate Artist reprimanding her, calling her names and telling her to turn around. Her legs were heavy, however she managed to walk in some direction (whether or not it was the correct one was still blurry to her). She halts abruptly, and somehow she’s ended up in the center of the dormitory hall.

Himiko exits the room and closes the door behind her, trailing after the Aikido Master with a huff. 

She tugs at her pointed hat, muttering a disheartened, “I’m beginning to think you don’t want to talk to me…”

Tenko immediately feels worse, a heavy guilt weighing in on her conscience, “No! No- that’s not it at all, Himiko! I’m very sorry I made you...uh…”

Her voice trails off as she hears shuffling back in Miu’s dorm, behind the now locked door. It is clear that the Ultimate Inventor had immediately removed herself from her bed as soon as the pair had left, and if the scraping of a chair and the rustling of papers told Tenko anything, she had sat down at her desk and started working. Working on  _ what _ , she wondered?

_ Oh no. _ Angie says, voice uncharacteristically low,  _ oh no no nono no. _

The thought fades into the void, Tenko’s vision returning to normal, headache subsiding. She looks back down at Himiko, head empty. 

“What’s going on?” The mage asks directly, eyebrows furrowed, “I...I know that a lot has happened but you’ve seemed… very distracted today? And I wanted to ask-”

“I’m all good! You don’t need to worry about me, reall-”

“Hey,  _ I’m  _ talking now.” Himiko interrupts, her mousy voice contrasting the bluntness of her tone, “I feel like you’re pushing yourself away from me… And I know that I used to be…. Kinda annoyed by you but I’m  _ trying  _ to be a better person. I just need to ask… if I did anything that made you uncomfortable? If there was some deliberate reason you said you’re going to keep boundaries?”

Tenko stares back, practically buzzing with things she wanted to confess, however she only manages a half-hearted shrug and a, “I….. don’t know.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing wrong?”

“No.”

“You’re an awful liar.”

“......Yes.”

Tenko has never felt no unbelievably guilty, having no explanation for why she acted upon certain things. An answer was the only thing that Himiko has ever asked from her. Even if she was able to piece together some sort of response, some clarification for somebody she considered a friend, there was no possible way she could explain Angie and her warnings and the lack of control she feels and the sudden fluctuation of emotions that were too powerful to be contained by the now useless Neo-Aikido. The lingering paranoia she feels deep in her gut around the classmates she thought she could trust, having to double check the ceiling in case anything was above her every time she entered a room, waiting for others to take bites out of their food before she took a bite of hers to ensure it wasn’t poisoned.

She desperately wished to explain how she felt about the mage. The safety and fluttering in her stomach whenever the brunette felt whenever she was around. How spacing herself from her felt like ripping a part of herself away. How she was now even more aware of how she had been clingy and annoying before the  _ event,  _ how she knows Himiko, this amazing, kind-hearted, wonderful girl now viewed her as a nuisance. 

How being alone scared her more than being in a crowd. How truly alone she felt.

“Okay…” Himiko starts again, facial expression dreary and sulking, “I- I guess I’ll leave you al-”

“I hear dead people.” Tenko spits.

“-one for now-- Um, pardon?”

“It started during the seance,” Once she’s begun, Tenko can’t seem to prevent herself from talking, “I heard Angie’s voice telling me to look up so I did. Ever since then she’s been in the back of mind but she appears randomly and I don’t know what’s going on. I thought it was a stress hallucination but now I’m not sure. And everything just seems to be collapsing and I don’t know what I’m feeling and nothing is making sense and I’m--” There’s a lump in her throat as her eyes well with tears, “I  _ really _ do appreciate you trying to make things better between us. I do! I just thought it would be easier if we kept distance but I don’t  _ want to. _ ” 

Dramatically, she takes a deep inhale, exhaling with a mighty slice to the air and a scream of ‘HAIYAH’ before returning to her normal stance, tears shriveled away, “Okay! Any questions?”

Himiko blinks twice.

-=+=-

The Ultimate Mage’s Research Lab was as fantastical as it sounded, magic tricks upon magic tricks piled high upon the walls, splashes of navy and red the same color as her hair. A cage of tamed doves sat in one corner of the room, cooing softly. 

Himiko has plopped herself on top of a narrow wooden box, an essential prop for the “saw-a-person-in-half” trick in her act. Tenko stands in front of her, now reaching her eye-level.

“So Angie has been giving you really vague advice all this time?” Himiko asks, legs swinging. It was surprising how understanding she was being. While obviously confused, she was asking as many questions as she needed to in order to fully grasp the situation at hand.

“Yes, it’s been very weird.” Tenko replies.

“What’s she been saying?”

“Well, most recently she told me not to leave Miu’s room,” Tenko scratches at her arm, perhaps waiting for the artist’s voice to reappear however is met with silence, “That’s why I got all nervous, I guess.”

“You were  _ very _ nervous.” The mage says, a playful smirk curling on her lips, “You still are.”

Tenko quickly hides her face in her hands, her palms picking up the heat in her cheeks despite being incredibly sweaty. Drats. She likes to think she has two weaknesses: degenerate males addressing her and cute girls.

“S-Sorry! Uugh...I look all weird now…. My face is all red….!” She smacks herself lightly, snapping back into character, “B-but now Angie is silent, so I think everything is okay! Hopefully.” She adds on the last word as a late thought. To be perfectly honest, she couldn’t be certain if everything was  _ going _ to be okay. She could only keep repeating it to herself, praying it sticks.

The redhead’s eyes begin to squint, pondering, “Maybe it  _ is _ Angie’s spirit…. Maybe the seance worked, and now she’s just…. With you? And being very vague?” She shrugs sympathetically, “I’m really not sure.”

“I’m very grateful that you’re trying so hard to understand.” Tenko thanks, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “It’s all very confusing.”

“I mean… It  _ could _ be a stress hallucination… We can’t really be sure.”

“Y-Yeah.” She shrugs, “But the one time I did actually... _ listen  _ to her advice was when I was in that….cage.”

Himiko’s nose scrunches. The memory was obviously unpleasant for the both of them, both sharing the same feeling of loss that day. Neither of them were entirely keen on discussing it, sugaring the details as much as possible when asked about it.

“She was the one who told you… someone was trying to kill you?”

“She told me to  _ look up. _ ” Tenko says, the words unnaturally placed in her mouth and bitter on her tongue, “She wouldn’t leave me alone until I sat up or….did something. So I did.” Immediately Tenko’s eyes begin to water and she curses herself for allowing herself to be so sensitive, “And there was a sickle above me- And I didn’t know what to do-”

She chokes and immediately turns towards the doves, admiring them from afar while also averting her face. She did not want to cry in front of a cute girl,  _ again. _

“Well, thank Atua.” Himiko says to soften the mood, “I don’t know  _ what _ I’d do if you were taken, too.” 

The brunette sniffs noisily, rubbing the tears out of her eyes with the palm of her hand. The thought of death sends shivers down her spine. How heartbreaking that thought was, dying young and abandoning her friends without any means of completion, no way of making amends with Himiko and being killed off unfairly and excessively for some incestuous relationship. Her last words would have been telling the girl that her feelings were valid, something natural and worthwhile, before immediately dying at the hands of the Ultimate Anthropologist.

“Thank Atua.” Tenko replies almost sarcastically, voice high with misery.

They both nod, finding themselves at a loss for words. Tenko had been sighing repetitively out of relief, exhaling large amounts of air that she had been holding. Shuichi had been right about trusting the mage, after all. Talking with Himiko felt comfortable, and she’s pretty certain it’s the only time it hasn’t been entirely one-sided. Both of them were moving the conversation forward as equals.

“It could have been me, huh.” Himiko breathes, “I think about that a lot.”

Tenko is reminded of that conversation back in the kitchen with the Ultimate Detective, regret seeping through her, “That it  _ should _ have been you?” The question comes out almost instinctively, projecting her own remorse onto the redhead.

“I mean…. If we’re going to open up….” She inhales shakily, “Kinda… Maybe. It’s not as if I  _ actively _ want to die, but it’s more like…. I feel guilty about you taking my place.”

Her features display sincerity, a heavy weight of responsibility, as if she single-handedly caused Korekiyo to attempt his murder against Tenko. 

“I took your place because I wanted you to see Angie. And even if I had known, I would have taken your place anywa-”

“If you  _ had _ known, we would both refuse  _ together. _ I wouldn’t want you throwing yourself at danger just to protect me.”

“But that’s my job!” Her hands rest on her hips with an almost insincere confidence, “I’ll protect all of the girls here, including you!”

“Not at the expense of your own life.” Himiko says. It’s perhaps the most certain the Aikido Master has ever seen her be, “If you died because of me, I wouldn’t know how to handle that guilt.”

Tenko’s smile falters and immediately crumbles, as well as her vigorous stance. She could sense her companion’s heavy burdens already, the accountability she holds herself to over the death of the Ultimate Artist and how distressed she was to overcome it. Another death on top of that would crush her. Who in this academy was close enough for her to confide in? While the brunette kicked herself at how selfish that sounded, her other classmates seemed much closer to each other than to herself and Himiko. Of course, not as isolated as the Ultimate Supreme Leader, that grape scented little  _ degenerate _ , however not as good friends as Maki and Kaito, for example.

“Hey, um… Has she ever…. Said anything about me?” Himiko says slowly.

Tenko hated how her nostrils flared with jealousy. Angie was  _ dead _ , for Pete’s sake, “Sometimes when you entered a room she would say hello to you! But other than that, no.” She notices how the redhead’s face drops only the tiniest amount, “But! Um! She never really talked about anybody, if that helps! I’m sure if she did, she would talk about you non-stop!”

“No, no, it’s not that. I was just hoping….” Her voice falls, the remainder of the sentence on the tip of her tongue.

For an apology. That must be what she was hoping for, right? Angie treated the poor girl  _ terribly _ when she was alive, brainwashed her and then threw her under the bus whenever it was necessary! Tenko certainly couldn’t think of anything else that Himiko was hoping for from Angie, and by the looks of it the mage didn’t seem to know what she wanted either.

Maybe she didn’t want an apology. Maybe she wanted some sort of affirmation. Tenko bit her own lip, remembering that those two  _ were _ in fact friends. She shouldn’t be so horrible to somebody that Himiko saw merit in, especially considering she’s deceased.

The mage meets the brunette’s eyes again, another cheeky smile forming, “Hey… Now that I think of it…. Why didn’t she just  _ tell _ you it was Korekiyo that killed her?”

Tenko buffers for a second, processing the question, before finding herself smiling, giggles escaping her lips, “Y-Yeah! That’s so- Why didn’t she do that?”

“That would have been really convenient.”

“That would have been  _ so _ convenient!!”

Laughter erupts throughout the Research Lab, an almost carefree feeling of their stress melting away. Tenko really loved Himiko’s laugh. It was bright and song-like, a clear tone over the Aikido Master’s rather obnoxious snorts and cackles. She didn’t hear her laugh very often. 

It seems that every time Tenko would snort that the pair would begin howling even louder, a giddiness overriding their sense of humor and declaring everything funny. 

“Could you i-imagine how  _ short _ that class trial would be?” Tenko quips between heaves of laughter, “We’d all be back in our dorms in like  _ five minutes!” _

“That’s the dream, baby!” Himiko wheezes, “ _ A five minute trial and then immediately going to sleep, _ that’s the dream!”

Tenko has to lean against the box that the mage sits on, clutching her stomach in her hands as she guffaws. Himiko has collapsed backwards, now lying on her back, legs kicking the air. The brunette is the first to settle, having her attention caught on her companion so deeply that she seems to have forgotten to laugh. Himiko opens her eyes, staring forwards at the ceiling before turning back to the girl next to her. Tenko quickly averts her gaze, desperately trying to convince her that she was not staring.

“Hey, I don’t think I ever properly thanked you.” The mage says, chortles subsided. Tenko flashes her a confused grin.

“For what?” She replies, “I don’t think I’ve really done anything.”

“For defending me during that second trial. Everybody else was ready to throw me to the dogs but… you stood by me. And you wanted to protect me from the student council. That was cool.” She props herself up by her elbows, “I’m really glad we got to actually… talk things out.”

“Right!! Yes! Me- Uh, me too!” Tenko stutters, fingers drumming against the box, “And it was nothing, really. You know that I believe in you, always!”

“Even after I was… kinda mean to you?” Himiko asks.

“I never thought you were never mean!” Tenko replies, “It was my fault for being so clingy. I know that now.”

Himiko exhales in a giggle as a response, a silent way of saying “maybe so”. Comfortable stillness echoes throughout the room once more. The mage runs a hand through her scalp, pushing back red strands of hair from her face. Tenko finds herself wishing she had that length of hair, something so easily tamable. 

“I like your hair.” She says out of nowhere.  _ Smooth.  _

“Oh.” Was that a faint dust of blush that spread across her cheeks? “Thank you.”

“I’ve always wanted hair like that. Mine is gross.” She continues, flicking her greasy ponytail over her shoulder and staring at it disappointedly. 

Himiko’s eyes brighten with the promise of an idea, and she flings herself off of the wooden box rather clumsily, stumbling to the floor and then immediately disappearing behind a curtain of magic supplies. She appears once more valiantly, swishing her cape magnificently as she brandishes a pair of silver scissors.

“I can make that happen, with my handy dandy pair of  _ Cut-No-Cut Scissors!” _

“Cut-No-Cut?” Tenko clarifies. Himiko runs over, to which Tenko nearly yells at her to be careful since she was carrying a sharp object in her hand. 

The mage snips the scissors, presenting it as fully-functional before handing them to the Aikido Master. Tenko grabs them and attempts to mimic her in action by pressing her fingers together, trying to snip the air, however no matter how hard she squeezed the scissors would not close.

“Um? They’re not closing?”

Himiko retrieves the scissors with a fake look of confusion, easily opening and closing the scissors once more, “Here, I’ll close them for you. You can try again.”

She hands them back to her and Tenko bears the same results. Even with two hands, she is unable to open them as easily as the mage had.

“Wh-Why aren’t they opening?” She wonders.

Himiko wiggles her fingers over the scissors, then grabs the brunette’s hands and opens them for her. Tenko’s eyes widen to the size of small saucers..

“Magic??” Tenko gasps.

“Magic.” Himiko nods.

“Holy crap……” Tenko allows the mage to softly take the scissors from her hands, “You can cut my hair with  _ magical scissors? _ ”

“Well I think it would be best for you to cut your hair. You’ve got tons of things burrowed in there!!”

“Really?” Tenko quickly rakes through her knotted hair.

Himiko reaches forward, hands grasping at something behind her ear. As she recoils her arm, a bronze monocoin has appeared in her fingers. 

Tenko’s mouth drops to the floor.

-=+=-

“ _ Look at this!! _ ” Himiko giggles, holding up the chopped off ponytail up towards Tenko’s bathroom mirror. The hair was almost as long as the mage herself.

The Aikido Master, grin wide and excited, stares between her reflection and the detached hair in her friend’s hands. Her hair now reached just above her shoulders, cut only slightly unevenly. As she combed through it with her hands, she surprised herself with how quickly the hair ended, the weight erased from her shoulders and now in Himiko’s grip.

“ _ No wa-” _ She is stopped by a wave of laughter, shocked at her new style. It was the brightest her eyes had ever looked, however changed her appearance was. With the new hairstyle, the scar running down the outer side of her left thigh, her scabbing knuckles adding a harshness to her vibe while contrasting the goofiness of her socks and sandals, Tenko truly felt rejuvenated. The giggly girl next to her, spinning with the ponytail as a ribbon, only made her heart swell even further.

The pair share an awkward dance to no music, whipping their short hair freely in the confined space of the Ultimate Aikido Master’s bathroom. They had moved to Tenko’s dormitory to gain a better mirror, as the only ones Himiko had in her Research Lab were used for magic shows and purely props. The Cut-No-Cut scissors lay closed on the kitchen sink.

Himiko and Tenko share a mock “moment-of-silence” for the ponytail as the mage suspends it over an open trash can. The Aikido Master finds herself jokingly saluting as her long hair falls into the garbage, a final goodbye to who she used to be.

The pair exit the bathroom, skipping all the way, babbling excitedly as they reach her blue bed. Himiko is praising herself on her “Hairstylist skills”, ruffling Tenko’s hair in astonishment. The brunette grins and allows her to, the butterflies in her stomach weighing her down where she sat.

**BING BONG, BING BONG.**

“Huh? What time is it?” Tenko asks, reaching around for her abandoned monopad. The monitor in the top corner of her room flickers on, the remaining monocubs sitting luxuriously on a chaise longue. 

“Booooo!” Himiko yells, still flighty from their previous fit of giggles. Tenko chortles in response, mimicking her heckling.

“This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 10 p.m. Nighttime officially starts now.” Monophanie’s voice is sickly sweet, and is just barely audible over Tenko and Himiko’s excessive catcalling, “Staying up late is bad for your skin, so maybe you bastards should go to bed, okay?” 

“My skin looks  _ great!! _ ” Tenko jeers childishly, to the mage’s amusement. And no, it does not. Stress had weighed down on her in the form of sleepy bags under her eyes, and her acne has started to freckle the sides of her forehead and on her chin. Her new bright smile has overridden this.

Himiko begins playing with Tenko’s hair again, resting on her shoulder as her hands rake through the short style, “Ew, gross, what’s happening now…?” She says at the monitor.

They peer suspiciously at the screen, the voices of the monocubs flying directly over their heads. The bears had moved much closer to each other, gazing into each other’s mechanical eyes.

“It’s kinda crazy, really… I’ve never thought about you this way before…” Monotaro laments.

Tenko’s face goes red-hot, second-hand embarrassment racing through her body.

“ _ Nyeh!? _ Aren’t they  _ siblings!?” _ Himiko gasps, disgusted. Both of them make similar gagging noises, flashbacks of a particular  _ classmate _ flooding back to them as the scene with the two monocubs began to increasingly grow more sensual in nature. Even the screen itself tints with pink, setting the scene for this robot fantasy. 

Giggling in shock and tongues out in disdain, they turn around, desperately looking for a remote,  _ anything _ to shut off this shocking scene before they had to watch two teddy bears having sex. The reactions were overdramatic and loud on purpose, just so they didn’t have to listen to whatever was happening on screen. Tenko takes a pillow from behind her and throws it at the monitor. Conveniently, the monocubs stop the broadcast just as it manages to hit it.

“Nobody wants to watch that  _ disgusting degenerate _ make  _ any _ sexual advances on their sibling!! _ ” _ Tenko yells at the dark screen. 

Himiko shakes her head, beginning to assemble her items. Her jacket and pointed hat had been thrown upon the small couch in her room.

“I should get going… I’m gonna go to sleep early so I can have lots of energy tomorrow!!” 

Tenko feels great pride, a swelling happy feeling in her chest for how Himiko has adapted for her own health, “Yes, that’s a good idea! I’m really proud of you for picking up a sleep schedule.”

Himiko turns and returns a smile, “Was it that obvious I wasn’t sleeping?”

Tenko can do nothing but give a shy chuckle. Himiko rolls her eyes playfully.

“Alright. Goodnight, Tenko. Get some sleep yourself. You look tired.” She slings her navy jacket over her shoulder, “And you can surprise everybody with your new haircut in the morning! Courtesy of the Ultimate Mage!”

The Aikido Master rubs her own eyes. She  _ had _ been tired, but now she was filled to the brim with excitement, a joyful buzz keeping her eyes wide open, “Good night, Himiko! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

And with that, Himiko gives a friendly wave and leaves the dormitory. Tenko follows after her, locking the door as it shuts behind the mage.

She takes a moment to restructure herself, sliding her back down the door. It was an amazing feeling, having a friend she could laugh with. She really needed somebody she could be happy with, and she was elated that it was Himiko. She had been fixated on her since day one, her red hair and her pretty eyes and her gentle nature. She had one person she could trust now. The old Tenko had been thrown out with her hair.

Short hair. She’d have to get used to it.

She’d have to get used to having a friend, too. It’s a first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET THEM BE TEENAGERS, HAROLD.............. LET THEM BE AWKWARD AND GIVE EACH OTHER UNEVEN HAIRCUTS...............


	11. if we combine your magic with my neo-aikido, then we'd be able to solve things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sad? lonely? depressed? neo-aikido!

“Again, Saihara?”

The Ultimate Detective turns around with a guilty smile, a familiar tea kettle in his hands, “Good morning to you too, Tenko.”

Tenko checks her monopad just in case she was wrong, but it very clearly stated that the time was 2:34 AM. She had trucked down the dark hallways only to find the kitchen already illuminated with synthetic lights, the silhouette of a man greeting her upon arrival. Of course, she had already kinda predicted that he would be there, with their previous encounter telling her that he was there often. She supposed there was a part of her that wished he wasn’t here, a part of her that hoped he actually got some sleep that night.

The Aikido Master was there too, so she couldn’t really reprimand him for staying up.

Shuichi catches a glimpse of her as she enters into the intense light of the kitchen, as she blinks furiously to adjust her eyes, “Your hair! It’s short!”

Tenko ruffles it playfully, “Yes! Himiko cut it for me!” It was quite obvious how her face lit up when she said the mage’s name. 

“It looks cool!” Shuichi compliments. Tenko’s face immediately shrivels, an old habit of hers whenever a male would say something nice about her appearance. Despite how hard she was trying to open herself up to people and trust others, her gut still tried to pound it into her brain how all compliments from men were simply manipulations to weaken her.

“Thhhh……….” The syllable rolls on her tongue, sounding almost painful to get out, “...aaaannnkkssssss………”

“No problem.” He replies, chuckling. The microwave beeps behind him, and he rushes to open the door, the excessive steam causing him to recoil, “I only microwaved one bowl, I didn’t know you’d be here. There’s some extra fried rice in the fridge, if you want some?”

“Yeah, okay.” She shrugs, beginning her voyage towards the refrigerator. 

As she scavenged for something appetising leftover from previous meals, Tenko found herself wondering what made this encounter so different. She remembered last night, how on edge she had been, stomach in knots and incredibly conscious of any means of danger that may appear around her. She couldn’t deny that obsession still lingered behind her, a shadow pointed permanently at her neck, however it felt much easier to push it aside. Maybe she didn’t feel so heavy because her normally hefty long hair now stopped above her shoulders.

She couldn’t say that much had changed for Shuichi’s appearance. His pajamas were still baggy on him, skin still sickly pale, however his eyes looked a little brighter. He was bobbing his head side to side, a tiny dance to music playing in his own head. He seemed to have a little more energy this early morning.

“So... what brings you down here again?” He asks, removing the kettle from its stand and pouring himself a cup. He has left Tenko her own cup so that she could fill it herself. She appreciated the tiny gesture, just making sure she was comfortable.

“Can’t sleep. Too much energy!!” She replies, deciding on some off-branded American cereal with milk, “I was gonna eat something and then do some Neo-Aikido! Why are you here?” She barely waits for an answer before she completes the question herself, “Um...same reason as last time?”

This time, Tenko told herself, she would not bring up Kaede’s name. He obviously was in a better mood, because of  _ what _ she was uncertain, so she would not  _ deliberately  _ bring it down by mentioning the deceased Rube Goldberg enthusiast. This time she will shove the Ultimate Pianist so far out of her mind that she forgets what a piano is. 

“Same reason as last time.” Shuichi echoes, dunking the tea bag in the hot water, “Is Miu feeling okay? You guys didn’t…. Come back to the dining hall.”

That was a loaded question that Tenko wasn’t sure she could answer herself. Of course the Ultimate Inventor looked outwardly upset, and had expressed this raw panic that came as a surprise from the otherwise confident blonde, but she had seemed relatively calm once the duo had left her alone. Apparently she had never come out of her room, if what Shuichi had just said told her anything, a fact that punches her in the gut. Oh god, what if Angie had been right? What if there had been danger? What if Miu never comes out of her room alive? What if Miu had  _ died in that room!? _

“Y- Yeah, um, she seemed fine!” Tenko replies, choking down her pure fear, “We left her in her room and she kicked us out.” 

“Kicked you out, huh? Did you see her after that?”

“No… I went to the Ultimate Magician’s Research Lab with Himiko.”

The detective nods, blowing steam from his forkful of fried rice before hastily eating it. Tenko makes a note to check up on the inventor before she heads towards her dojo.

“Well… I hope she’s alright. She seemed really upset in the dining hall.” Shuichi comments, lips pursed in sympathy, “I know that everybody here is scared about the….situation we’re in…. But I never thought that  _ Miu _ would be the one to get that emotional.”

“It’s just like you _ men _ to disregard how women are feeling. Just because she doesn’t show it does not mean she is any less scared than the rest of us!!”

“Y-You’re right! Sorry.” He shoves another forkful of rice into his mouth to avoid saying anything that may offend. Tenko huffs through her nose righteously, whirling a metal spoon around her cereal bowl. She stares at the cereal box, fixating herself on it’s rather ominous image of a cartoon monokuma hovering menacingly over a bowl of what can only be described as helpless miniature versions of himself. Flicking back and forth between her own bowl of colorful, Monokuma-shaped cereal and the box itself only made her lose her appetite. 

Shuichi, mouth full of rice, looks at her and says, “So, you and Himiko made up, huh?”

“ _ Please _ chew your food. That’s  _ disgusting! _ ” Tenko hisses, face scrunching as if she had sucked on a lemon, “Just  _ looking  _ at that makes me want to  _ break your jaw! _ ”

He swallows, hard, “My bad. Sorry.”

“You apologize a lot! Stop that, too!”

“Sor- Yes. Yeah, okay, yep.” The fork dances in his hands, as he obviously is hesitant to take another bite, “I asked if you and Himiko made up.”

Tenko’s demeanor switches almost instantly, as if she was never angry with Shuichi in the first place, “Oh, yes! I took your advice and went and talked things out with her… so I think we’re… friends now??” Her smile is bashful and reaches upwards towards her ears, “Maybe?? I’m not sure, but she is very nice!!”

Shuichi notices the juxtaposition. There’s a flicker of something in his eyes, maybe a playful glint, a knowing look. Tenko makes everything very obvious.

“That’s good. I’m glad I could help.” He nods fondly. The Aikido Master almost instinctively growls something along the lines of ‘I did not  _ need _ your help so don’t be so cocky  _ degenerate’ _ but she manages to suppress it.

She smiles at him, “You did help a lot. Thank you.” 

It surprises her. She couldn’t remember a time where she had been so unhesitantly friendly with a male. The detective looked surprised too, his eyebrows raised only briefly before immediately turning back to his fried rice. The sugary cereal that Tenko had managed to eat maybe three bitefuls of was incredibly sweet, chalky in texture and overall unpleasant to eat. She decided that perhaps she didn’t need to eat after all, but couldn’t bear to just waste food, so she shoves the bowl into the fridge. It will undoubtedly never be touched again, however it gives her slight peace of mind.

An idea runs through her mind as she turns back towards the exit. Something that could be beneficial to the both of them: exercise. 

God, she hated asking a man to join her in  _ any _ activity, but this may just help him a little. 

“Shuichi!” She begins, halting him instantaneously as he held a forkful of rice midair, “You should come train with me! Neo-Aikido is good for the mind as well as the body, and will be helpful in your debilitating sleep schedule!” It was hardly exclaimed as a choice.

The rice tumbles onto the kitchen table, and he quickly grimaces, swiping the mess into his hands, “Oh- I appreciate the offer, Tenko, but… you  _ did _ sumo throw me into the mat last time.”

Almost guiltily, she scratches behind her neck. It was much easier to reach, as it wasn’t barricaded by a mass of hair any longer, “Well, I- It didn’t- That wasn’t a- Yeah, okay, maybe I did do that. But that was just to check your abilities!” She plasters confidence across her face once more, “You are very weak!”

“You said the same thing last time,” Shuichi jokes, resting his empty bowl in the sink and rinsing it with water, “I’m beginning to think it's true.”

The Ultimate Aikido Master’s mouth opens to agree, but she comes to realise that the statement was in fact sarcasm. A joke. Also, she realizes, maybe she was taking it too far.

“Weak  _ physically. _ That can be changed through Neo-Aikido! I was going to ask Himiko as well, so maybe in the morning?”

“In the morning sounds great! I’ve already worked-” He abruptly stops, but changes the subject instantly, “Yeah, I’ll do it then!”

“Cool! The more people who practice Neo-Aikido the better!”

His eyebrows knot, “Right. It’s a technique that you’ve developed with your Master, isn’t it? Only you guys know about it?” 

“Yes!” She’s hovering in the exit now, ready to leave at any moment, “If I die, it dies with…... me.”

The last word falls flat.  _ Oh boy. Oh boy.  _ Now she’s done it. It was innocent enough, a phrase she’s said on multiple occasions, but it held so much  _ weight _ to it now. If she  _ had _ died, it would have been for nothing. All of her years of training, her countless days of practice and hard working and blood and sweat and tears, wasted. Down the drain. She had been avoiding anything related to death for a  _ reason, _ and now that she’s started there’s no telling what she’d do next.

On that grim subject, she’s reminded of the vulgar inventor. The same inventor who had not left her room all day. She needs to check on her. If anything happened to Miu, Tenko would kick herself directly in the face.

“Bye.” She grits through her teeth as politely as she could, and immediately leaves.

A vowel escapes Shuichi’s mouth, the start of a sentence, however neither of them were too keen on continuing the conversation.

-=+=-

To say that the Ultimate Inventor wasn’t happy with Tenko knocking on her door at 3 AM to ask if she was okay would be an understatement. 

The door was practically slammed in her face before the brunette could utter the words “How are you” fully. However, considering that she appeared very much alive, and anger was an emotion typically expressed by living people, she could safely assume that Miu Iruma was not dead.

Whether or not she was  _ alright _ was an entirely different question with an entirely different answer. Considering how quickly the blonde had unlocked the door, there was no doubt in Tenko’s mind that she was not asleep. And it seemed as if she hadn’t  _ been _ sleeping at all. Her eyes were droopy and her hair was knotted, as if she had been scratching at it, the desk behind her scattered with piles upon piles of notes and doodles. Her makeup was fading, mascara clotting and eyeliner smudging, as if she had left it on all night. It was a very disorienting picture, a stark contrast to how Miu typically presented herself in front of the Aikido Master. 

“Just checking up!!” She had yelled through the door, but considering that other people may be asleep, her statement clipped short. Tenko had left her alone, done some simple meditation through Neo-Aikido, reflected deeply on yesterday’s events in her dojo, and then gone back to sleep.

She had slept through the morning announcement the following sunrise. Later on when she had asked about it, her classmates told her it was disturbing enough that she was better off missing the announcement entirely. So, nothing new.

It wasn’t until Himiko, bright and early, knocked on her door that morning she had realised how late she was.

“Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!” She had said, “We’re  _ running _ to the dining hall today! No stopping!!”

Tenko blanches at the mage appearing at her door, pawing at her hair to make herself look somewhat presentable in front of her, “O-Okay!! Let me get changed first, and I’ll be right out!”

As she didn’t wish to keep the mage waiting, Tenko hurriedly throws on her clothes, brushes her short hair and rids it of any knots, pushes it back with her purple headband, and slaps her green bow on top of her head. She fist pumps the air as encouragement and runs back to Himiko, to which the pair begin their sprint towards the dining hall. 

As they race down the staircase, Miu emerges from her dorm. Flippant as ever, she flicks Tenko the middle finger from behind Himiko’s back and heads down to the dining hall at a much slower pace. Her eyes waver on Tenko’s change in appearance for a split second, but it obviously was not that big of a deal to impose any means of conversation. The Aikido Master returns a regretful smile as an apology, but with how fleeting their interaction was she was unsure if Miu had seen it before the blue and red pair bolted off.

Tenko had to slow down considerably to reach Himiko’s full sprint speed, and even then the mage was lagging behind. She had become tired very easily, wheezing and puffing as Tenko remained at a normal breathing rate. They both agreed upon a quick break outside in the courtyard. Even if the dining hall was only a minute away, Himiko needed a rest.

Shuichi approaches in his formal attire, calm and collected as he walks past the pair with a wave, “Good morning, Himiko. Morning Tenko.”

Tenko returns the wave while Himiko huffs a shaky, “Nyeeeeh, good morning….”

“Hm? Tired?” The detective pauses, approaching them to create a triangle of people.

“Nyeh…? It’s because we ran here from the dormitory.”

Shuichi nods, probably a little surprised at how quickly Himiko had been winded considering how tiny the walk was from the dorm to the dining hall, “Ah, Tenko’s idea?”

“Nope! All hers!” Tenko answers.

“Hey!” Himiko pants, gaze flickering between the Ultimate Detective and the Aikido Master, “Notice anything different?”

Shuichi stares at the green-eyed girl, obviously already having learned about her new haircut the night previously. Tenko returns a backhanded stare, one that the mage could not pick up from in front of her.

“Oh!” He says, very clearly lying off his ass, “Tenko! Your hair, it’s short now!”

“Yes.” She says.

“It looks lovely.” 

Her stony gaze narrows, mouth coiling unattractively, as if hissing  _ don’t make me say it again. _ Himiko elbows her gently in the gut, reminding her to be nice and possibly trying to wipe the rather rude facial expression that has habitually reappeared on her face.

“Thank. You.” She spits, releasing an exaggerated sigh afterwards. This was the second time today she had  _ thanked a man _ and ignored the possibility of manipulation. And it was the  _ same man. _ Tenko thanked the  _ SAME  _ man  _ TWICE _ today. 

Nevertheless, the redhead next to her nods in approval, and that alone makes her feel better.

Shuichi chortles slightly at the encounter, “Anyways, why did you run here? Are you in a hurry?”

The Aikido Master turns to the smaller girl, allowing her to answer. Himiko inhales, and there’s a moment of emotion clearly shown through her features. Tenko picks it up instantly, how low and dreary her breaths had become, as if she was suddenly reminded of something. With a few moments of pause, the mage recollects her breathing, and then immediately returns to her vivacious stance.

“I decided to live life facing forward. That’s why I can’t stop.” She says. Tenko’s lips curl downwards. Of course it was healthy to want to push yourself, but working yourself too hard could prove a problem, “Actually, I can’t even walk! I need to be constantly running forward!”

“I-Isn’t that a bit extreme?” 

“...Huh? It’s extreme?” Himiko peers upwards at Tenko, as if asking whether or not the statement was true. Tenko, perhaps with the exhaustion from her limited hours of sleep last night seeping in, only blinks at her, mind elsewhere. Her brain racked itself to think of something to say. Before her hesitance is noticeable, Shuichi enters back into the conversation. 

“I know you want to be positive, but that doesn’t mean you have to start sprinting. You don’t want to live  _ too _ fast. It makes me worried. And I’m sure Tenko is worried, too.”

The brunette shakes herself into existence, intentionally keeping distance from the conversation. Suddenly there was something to agree on. Perhaps she shouldn’t have consented to sprinting with Himiko to the dining hall, maybe that was not the right thing to do. Maybe that was the worst possible decision that she could have made that morning. Who knows. 

Despite the tiniest voice telling her she shouldn’t agree with  _ men _ , Tenko nods and shrugs simultaneously, trying her hardest to appear unbiased towards a specific answer, worried sick about making Himiko angry. She had  _ just _ made up with her, and she didn’t want her to hate her already.

Himiko stares upwards into her green eyes, expression blank, before muttering a simple, “I don’t know…”

“Don’t know what?” Tenko asks worriedly.  _ Oh, you’ve done it now. Oh, you’ve DONE it NOW. Idiot.  _

“I want to live life facing forward for Angie’s sake… But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” The sentiment came rather easily, “I’m probably paying for saying that everything was a pain up till now…” It was a sign of trust from the mage, how simply the confession had been, as if she was reaching for help from those she needed. Tenko was glad that her attitude had changed, that her expressing of emotions came more naturally, but dear  _ god  _ was Tenko blanking on advice.

Shuichi notices Tenko’s clear distress, the way sweat was starting to form on her forehead despite showing no real exhaust over sprinting here, “Well… I’m not sure if Tenko had invited you yet, but….” The sentence trails off. The detective was setting her up to complete it. 

The Aikido Master, not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, takes a brief moment to understand what Shuichi was on about, genuinely believing he had forgotten what he was about to say. The gears in her brain begin moving once more, sputtering and hissing, and she realizes what he was implying.

“Oh!! Yes!! I was going to practice some Neo-Aikido today!! It’s a great form of exercise, and will be beneficial to your wellbeing! You can- um, you can train with me if you’d like?? No pressure or anything, I just maybe thought you’d want to join-”

“I’d love to… but will that make me positive? Can I live life facing forward?” She replies, cutting her off silently. 

Tenko nods with the certainty and wisdom of a woman decades older than her, “Of course! It’s… I know that it’s helped me a lot in living my life without anger or fear. I know it will help you!”

“And she’s promised not to throw us into the mat this time.” Shuichi jokes. Tenko passes him a snide frown, but even coming from her it's light-hearted. 

“Right now it’s me, Shuichi, and you, but I think I’ll… ask the others if they want to join as well!” 

“Alright then.” Himiko agrees, fists raised in the air, “I’ll do it!!”

Tenko almost jumps cartoonishly in the air. 

Shuichi smiles at the tiny girl, “That’s great, Himiko. When do we want to train?” 

“They say good deeds should be done quickly, so I say we should start right after breakfast!”

The Ultimate Detective claps once, a gesture telling them he agreed. Tenko dances in her spot, shoes shuffling against the pavement, an involuntary excited motion. She was over the moon, elated to be able to teach the practice she had evolved and been trained in, her life’s work. This time, she would take it slower, using the method as exercise and meditation instead of a therapy that involved chucking her classmates headfirst into the floor. She would set up a lesson plan and everything! Just like her Master!

“Well, I’ll see you later, then. Are you coming to the dining hall?” The detective asks.

“We’ll meet you there…. I just need a little bit longer.” The redhead replies.

Tenko, still reeling from her high of being told she’ll be teaching Himiko and the others, quickly suggests, “I can give you a piggyback ride!!”

Regret practically seeps through her pores as soon as the sentence is uttered. Himiko had hated the idea of Tenko carrying her around before, and there was no telling what she tolerated now. 

Shockingly, the mage returns a confident smile, “Sure,” She says, shrugging, “Why not?”

And so, Himiko rides on Tenko's back, giggling all the way to the dining hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> girl: you look really pretty!  
> tenko: fhdsjkahfksa thank you!! holy crap thnk you i would di e fo ryou 
> 
> boy: you look really pretty!  
> tenko: Perish.


	12. it's also important to listen to others, so we can work together.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aikido training and- oh. hang on, something's not right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back to Note Time with yours truly:
> 
> 1) this chapter came out really quickly lmao i cant pace myself. you either wait a week or five minutes no in between
> 
> 2) every time i write kokichi's dialogue i am tempted to end his sentences with :( and >:(. i feel like he would do that. i feel like he would say "colon parentheses" out loud.
> 
> 3) if you haven't yet completed danganronpa, and i assume most of you HAVE completed it, please skip the last section of this chapter!! major spoilers to who the mastermind is. you'll be able to tell its the end bc its all in italics :)
> 
> ok enjoy! <33

“Breathe in through the nose,” Tenko instructs, arms moving fluidly around her to assess the space and atmosphere. The class echoes her movement, and a large inhale is heard throughout the dojo, “On the exhale, we’re going to extend our hands in an outwards motion. Make sure to make your breathing audible!”

“ _ AAAAAAH!!! _ ” Kokichi shrieks, slicing the air. The room jumps.

“Not like that.” Tenko snares. Maki, who stood next to him, smacked him in the arm.

It hadn’t been her idea to bring the Ultimate Supreme Leader along, in fact both her and Himiko tried to avoid extending the invitation towards him. However, since the idea of training in the dojo after breakfast was announced to the entire dining hall, he unfortunately heard it. After being told he was not welcome to join at the dining hall, and then once more being told he was not welcome to join at the dojo’s entrance, he still wiggled his way into Tenko’s Ultimate Research Lab. He probably snuck in behind Gonta and Kaito. The others who were not in the dojo included Miu, claiming she had to finish up a few minor details on her newest “project”, and K1-B0, who begrudgingly followed her after being reminded that he did not  _ need _ this exercise. Considering how annoyed with her Miu was when she had woken up, Tenko left them alone.

“We’re going to pair up again! If you could find another partner, that would be great!” Tenko instructs. She doesn’t take her own advice, rather immediately finds Himiko, who she had partnered with last time. The mage had the exact same idea, already facing the Aikido Master. With how easily the redhead got tired, Tenko was considerate in slowing down in order to match her pace.

Gonta, who had been following Tenko’s instructions to a tee, waves a gentle goodbye to Kokichi, his last sparring partner, and quickly joins with Tsumugi. The Cosplayer had been struggling, falling behind in steps and staring rather blankly at Tenko, analyzing her every move to the point of being distracting. And honestly, a little off-putting.

Maki and Kaito basically refuse to switch partners, neither of them wishing to volunteer to be Kokichi’s teammate, so the burden is left to the wilting Ultimate Detective. Kokichi’s grin only widens as he drags Shuichi childishly to their own corner of the tatami mat. Tenko could only hope that the detective would “miss” and whack the degenerate directly in the face.

The Aikido Master shows them an easily repetitive routine, using Himiko as an example. They were to practice throwing slices, palms facing their opponent as they aim past their head. The pairs would rehearse with their right arms first, slicing and retreating their hands, and then bumping their elbows together, until they were ordered to change to left. The exercise was simple enough, more so focused on breathing and finding one’s center of gravity, so Tenko encouraged light chatting within groups if it did not withdraw from their own participation.

“Nyeh…. This training is very…. Long….” Himiko pants. Their movements remain at a consistently slower pace than the others, but it’s comfortable nevertheless, “But I’m trying my best!”

“You’re doing a great job, Himiko. It’s just this last cycle of exercise and we’re finished!”

Out of the corner of her eye, Tenko could very clearly see Tsumugi staring her down from where she stood with Gonta. Her strikes were uncoordinated and sometimes knocked him in the chest, focus clearly elsewhere. The entomologist was chatting happily despite her not paying very much attention towards him, and if he noticed her accidentally hitting him he didn’t show it. The Ultimate Cosplayer had been acting like that around her all day. She wasn’t sure what was running through Tsumugi’s mind, but ever since Miu had announced that she had something planned for the group, she had been staring Tenko down. The Aikido Master liked to think she was good at reading facial expressions, more so than other people, however she truly could not place a specific emotion behind Tsumugi’s features. It wasn’t malice, but it wasn’t warm, either.

“Hey, um, what do you think of Miu’s plan?” The brunette asks the smaller girl as a diversion from the cosplayer, before quickly yelling to the group, “SWITCH! And keep your breathing consistent!!”

Her classmates change over from their right to their left arms, the chatter pausing for only the slimmest of moments before resuming again.

“Nyeh..? I think it’s pretty… unusual that she wouldn’t tell us anything. I’ll have to use my magic to check what she’s doing later.”

Tenko’s heart races at the idea of Himiko using her magic, “Awesome!! But, um, what do you think about her saying that she’ll… ‘bring us to a world where the killing game doesn’t exist’?”

“I’m not sure…” She shrugs, eyebrows knitted, “I have a bad feeling about it all… breakfast was weird this morning.”

“Yeah, it was.” Tenko replies, softly bumping her elbow against Himiko’s. Breakfast  _ was _ weird that morning. The only thing that saved it was Tenko announcing she would be hosting a Neo-Aikido lesson.

The pair had arrived and immediately were thrown into some tense quarrel, with  _ Gonta _ surprisingly spearheading it. It was about fighting Monokuma, she remembers, about recklessly throwing himself in the line of danger to save everybody. It was a notion that, quite frankly, she agreed with to some extent. If ending the killing game meant fistfighting the monochrome bear by herself, she would do it. However, the rest of her class did not seem too keen on careless violence. Even Himiko had opposed it, which is why Tenko had kept her mouth shut on the matter.

Kokichi had started rambling about “games” and how it was “only fun if you participated in it”, which only led to even more fighting, this time  _ with _ Tenko involved. However, she wasn’t the one to get the last word, and neither was Kokichi. In fact it was Kaito, with no words at all, who had punched the Supreme Leader directly across the face to shut him up. That was when Miu had discussed her new “plan”, incredibly vaguely, and rather calmly expressing that there was no need for anybody to sacrifice themselves to fight Monokuma. Kaito had been hastily removed from Kokichi’s sight and warned not to indulge in some senseless brawl.

As she turned over to him now, the self-proclaimed “Luminary of the Stars” was sitting himself down on the mat, rather painfully. Maki had assisted, holding his elbow, before returning to the exercise with even more powerful punches.

_ “Kaito!! No resting!! We’re almost done!! _ ” Tenko screeches, to which he returns a dark glare before lurching himself back to his feet. His strikes are sloppy and tired, but he does them nonetheless, “SWITCH! ONE MORE SET AND WE’RE DONE, FINISH STRONG!!”

The class converts back to the right side, and the Ultimate Astronaut gives Maki one flashing look of ‘ _ Why did I agree to this?’ _

“Don’t turn around,” Himiko starts, eyeing somebody suspiciously, “But Tsumugi is staring at you all weird…”

“I know. I’m not sure what she wants,” Tenko’s voice lowers to a meer whisper, worried that the cosplayer could be eavesdropping. Himiko’s eyes wonder so far off from what they were doing that one of her swings lands directly on the Aikido Master’s abdomen. 

“Oh, whoops.” She mutters, patting her abs as a means of apologizing. Tenko flusters so badly that her vision goes white for a moment.

“U-UH, we need! W-We need to- Uugh-!”

“SWITCH!” Himiko yells. The class pays little attention to the change in instructor, rather immediately switches to their left side, “Maybe talk with her after class? She might just be... confused?”

“A-About what?”

“I dunno. Neo-Aikido?” Himiko’s last strikes increase in power, following the Aikido Master orders for the entire room to push harder as they complete the lesson. Kokichi was intentionally hitting Shuichi in the shoulder, rhythm laced with frequent chants of ‘oops! oops! oops!’. The detective was sighing, eyes rolled up towards the ceiling, but still patiently kept his punches steered away from the purple-haired boy. Maki and Kaito were chatting amongst themselves, the assassin’s strikes much faster and more robust while Kaito barely lifted his arm, the same confident grin on his face. 

Tsumugi was still staring at Tenko. As the Aikido Master analyzed her more clearly, she could see that Himiko was perhaps correct. The Ultimate Cosplayer looked very much as if she had something to tell her.

“Alright, training’s up, everybody! Great work!” She takes one glance at the astronaut, “....Most of you.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!! I-I already worked out before I got here!”

“...If that helps you sleep at night.” Himiko mutters under her breath, a tiny joke that only her and Tenko shared. 

The brunette snickers and heads forward to lead her classmates out of the dojo, waving them goodbye. Shuichi beams at the class, thanks Tenko for the lesson, and promises that if she were to do it again he would be there. Kaito leaves, wordlessly, hand over his mouth, and is followed by Maki, who nods at the green-eyed girl and thanks her as well. Gonta stays for a moment and chats with both Tenko and Himiko, the mage leading the conversation as Tenko tried to be as friendly with a male as possible. She waves him goodbye.

Kokichi grabs her hand mid-wave and quickly jerks it up and down.

“Thanks so much, Karate Kid!” He compliments, eye contact as unwavering as his grip, “Not like I needed it, though. My body’s in tip top shape!”

It wasn’t. 

“We didn’t  _ want _ you to join…” Himiko announces from Tenko’s side. The Aikido Master’s facial expression was so strongly riddled with disgust that it practically seeped through her entire body and froze her in place. She couldn’t seem to move her hand out of his grasp.

Kokichi pouts, lower lip wobbling with crocodile tears, “ _ Boo hoo!  _ You’ve really hurt my feelings, Himiko! But I only came here to check up on you.” His purple eyes slowly reach Tenko’s again. She practically doubles him in his height, “Just in case your  _ girlfriend _ here had another one of her  _ outbursts-” _

Tenko practically slaps the man out of the dojo. With the Aikido Master’s recent strike, and Kaito also punching him just moments earlier, Kokichi was looking towards an ugly new bruise.

“Um, excuse me, Tenko?”

The Aikido Master flips around to find Tsumugi, hands plaited in front of her, eyes still peering directly at her. Suddenly there’s an air of polite nervousness surrounding her, however Tenko still couldn’t place a specific emotion behind her expression. The Aikido Master hums in response, nodding in her direction.

“I have something that I plainly need to ask you. Is it alright if we speak in your dorm?”

Hesitation makes itself clear in Tenko’s body. Her brain reels with the resounding  _ what ifs _ and her fight or flight starts to creep back into her bones. Was it rude to say no? Somebody has already tried to kill her once, so it makes sense if she wouldn’t want to be subjected to that ag-

“I’ll go with you guys.” Himiko says. It’s not a suggestion.

“Actually, I was hoping for a little privacy… But you are free to walk with us to her dorm!” She offers. There’s something bitter in her tone, but Himiko doesn’t pick it up. Tenko does, and the hairs on the back of her neck raise. 

_ Run run run.  _ Of course she’s reminded of that damn echo, that chant in the back of her mind would never leave her, even if Angie wasn’t there at the moment. But she had to remember those around her. She had to remember that if she wanted others to trust her, they needed her to trust them first. They needed her to push herself, to move on.

Tenko nods.

-=+=-

Tenko closes the door to her dormitory behind them and immediately regrets nodding.

Himiko followed them to the dorm, as promised, asking questions to Tsumugi in place of Tenko, who was trying her hardest to position herself back in her surroundings instead of in her head. Whenever they would pass by another classmate, Himiko told them of where they were headed, and who was going to be in the dorm. It was a tactic that many of the students had picked up while in the killing game, if they were going to be alone with somebody, they would tell everybody around them who and where they were going to be.

_ Just in case. _ The thought made her sick.

She scans the room, looking for anything that could be used against her. She knew she could trust Tsumugi, or at least she was convincing herself that she could, but still her eyes wandered. 

A roll of bandage tape sat on her nightstand. A pair of joke nunchucks, with a shortened chain and soft foam used for the grip, were hidden within her desk drawer (she was only allowed to keep them because both Kirumi and Shuichi had confirmed it would be quite hard for her to kill someone with them). 

The Cut-No-Cut scissors still lay closed on her bathroom’s counter. The restroom’s door was placed immediately to the right upon entry, so she would notice if Tsumugi sat up and ran to grab them. Even so, she kicked herself for not shutting the bathroom door. The scissors were in plain view.

“Well, first of all, I must say that I plainly love your new hairstyle!!” Tsumugi muses, sitting down on Tenko’s bed and gesturing for her to sit next to her, “It’s very  _ Lenalee- _ esque! Of course this is before she started growing out her hair again. And also, not the manga version but rather the  _ anime _ version, your hair color matches the anime version much more than it does in-”

“Sorry, I don’t know who that is. I-I’m not really an anime fan.” Tenko shrugs sheepishly. 

Tsumugi’s mouth hangs open and for the first time Tenko sees pure malice behind her eyes. It quickly fades as she heavily inhales, obviously having gotten sidetracked.

“I’ll catch you up later, I suppose…..  _ Anyways _ ,” She sighs, “What I really wanted to ask you about is more… serious than that.”

Tenko finds herself nodding again, unable to form words.

Tsumugi pauses, clearly trying to piece together a sentence in her head before returning to the conversation. The Aikido Master can only wait as the bluenette purses her lips in wonder.

“There’s really no easy way to ask this,” She starts, “So I guess I’ll just have to say it. What…. _ happened during the seance?”  _

That was the  _ worst _ possible thing that she could have asked right now. She was already on edge, for Pete’s sake, she didn’t need to be  _ reminded _ of her near death. Her heart races just thinking of cages and sickles, hums mercilessly in tune with the Caged Child song and drums in her ears. She hated how her fingers were beginning to tremble. Nothing was happening.  _ Nothing was wrong. _

She can always just run out of the room. Himiko was waiting outside, and was told that if they spent longer than five minutes she had every right to knock and check if they were okay. 

Tsumugi continues, either not noticing Tenko’s distress or ignoring, “I wasn’t there when it had happened… and I’m still a little confused as to what went down.”

She flattens her long skirt, pressing it against her legs. Maybe she, too, was anxious.

“U-Um….” Tenko’s mouth is dry, and she needs to swallow hard every few seconds, “Well, all of it was already explained in the trial, right? L-Like the seesaw stuff….”

“Yes, I understood that,” Tsumugi’s expression has softened, and Tenko finds her muscles relaxing only slightly, “But, I just….. What I mean is, did something….  _ Unusual _ happen during the seance?”

“I nearly got murdered.” Tenko deadpans.

“No- Not- I’m sorry. I know this is hard for you,” She shakes her head, “It just seems as if you have something on your chest.”

“Well, I was told to stay in position and he placed a cage over me, then I looked up and noticed the sickle and got flown backwards and…” It pours out of her mouth, rushed. Running out of the dorm seemed increasingly more and more tempting.

“You looked up?”

“Yes.” She grits.

“Oh… I thought Korekiyo told you to stay there?”

She hates his name. She had tried avoiding letting his name escape her lips again, demoting him to a meer pronoun whilst conversing about the anthropologist.

Tsumugi scoots closer, hands just centimeters away from Tenko’s, a way of trying to comfort the Aikido Master, “I just mean, did something happen to you that…. Maybe…. _Signaled you_ to move?”

_ How did she know that. How did she know that?  _

_ She  _ **_doesn’t_ ** _ know that, idiot, that’s why she’s  _ **_asking._ **

Tenko stares at Tsumugi, long and hard. The only people who knew about Angie’s warnings were herself and Himiko, and she had  _ just _ told the mage the day earlier. Nobody else was even  _ around _ for her to overhear their conversation, so unless the Ultimate Cosplayer was eavesdropping the entire time there was no possible way she could know about that. Was this something that she should tell to the bluenette? Was this a fact that she should share with  _ everybody _ , now that she was thinking about it?

“Wh- Why are you asking?” The Aikido Master interrogates, hands instinctively reaching to run through her hair which no longer extended past her shoulders. She continued to cast looks at the dorm door, as if hoping Himiko would run in.

Tsumugi returns a warm smile, trying to ease Tenko’s nerves a little, “Well, I’m just plain curious, that’s all! I read about  _ warnings _ and  _ foreshadowing  _ in my mangas all the time! You certainly seem a little out of it… so I just wanted to check up and make sure everything was okay and you weren’t burdening anything alone.”

It was a rather sweet sentiment, Tenko thought. She seemed to have good intentions behind it all. Maybe the Aikido Master  _ was _ a little frazzled, maybe she was acting so out of it that people  _ knew _ something else had happened during the seance.

_ Maybe she noticed you talking to yourself. _

“Yes, that too!” Tsumugi answers. Tenko blanches.

“Oh, I said that out loud?”

“Yep!” She confirms, “You were talking to someone really harshly during the class trial, but nobody was around you…” She gasps, eyes widening in astonishment, “ _ Ghosts!? _ ”

“No!” Tenko rambles, waving her hands in frantic gestures, “No, no, no, nothing like that-”

“Monokuma had talked about raising people from the dead, but I had no idea that there were  _ ghosts _ on the premi-”

“I just- I think it was a hallucination, that’s all!” Tenko interrupts, “I- I think. She just gets annoying sometimes and I can’t help but speak to-.”

“Who’s ‘She’?”

Tenko stomachs her paranoia in the name of trust, “Um…. Angie.”

Tsumugi blinks, body reclining backwards as she processes the information thrown at her. Tenko can’t remember them ever being friends, could not imagine the two ever getting close to one another while both members were still alive. Of course, Tsumugi  _ was _ part of the student council, however it was clear that the only reason she joined was because she wanted to agree with the majority. 

She did that a lot, wavered between sides simply because that’s what the majority called for. Coming here  _ herself _ was actually a pretty big move for her.

“Oh.” Tsumugi breathes, “So… Angie warned you to look up?”

At this point, Tenko just wants the conversation to be over, “Um… Yes. It’s very weird, I know-!”

“No, no, not at all! I even just recently cosplayed as Sara from  _ Kimi Ga Shine _ who experiences the….. Well, I can’t say that. That’s a spoiler!” She cuts herself off almost comically, zipping her lips shut and throwing away an imaginary key. Tenko returns a dorky smile, still unsure of what she was talking about, “But… that is fascinating. Have you told anybody else?”

With that last sentence, the green-eyed girl got the impression that perhaps she  _ shouldn’t _ tell anyone else.

“Um. No.” She lies from behind her teeth. Tsumugi seemed satisfied with her answer, however it was lost on Tenko whether or not she believed her lie.

“Okay. Hey, thank you very much for confiding in a plain girl like me. I really appreciate you explaining everything so I could be a little less confused,” The cosplayer stands, once more smoothing down her skirt and extending a hand for Tenko to take, “Talking to others is a great way to feel better, you know?”

The Aikido Master nods. That was true, she supposed.

“I-It was no problem. And I’m sorry if I seemed a little out of it…”

“I understand! I can’t imagine what you must be feeling. I really do hope things get better for you, Tenko.”

Why did she not believe her? Did Tenko really refuse that things could get better so stubbornly that such a simple statement like “get well soon” seemed false? Things  _ were _ getting better. Life was getting better for her, and she needed to stop convincing herself otherwise.

“Thank you, Tsumugi. It means a lot.” Her voice is weak.

Himiko knocks on the door and enters without receiving an answer. Her eyes go straight to the pair, assessing for injury, before she nods in approval.

“Well, I better head off. I want to look more into my Research Lab!” Says the Ultimate Cosplayer.

Despite wishing them farewell, the trio stops around the dorm’s exit, pausing to mingle. Tenko leans against the wall opposite the bathroom, balancing herself. Himiko hovered near the doorway and Tsumugi stood in front of the restroom.

“Hey, Tsumugi, now that you’re here… what do you think of Miu’s plan?” Himiko asks, adjusting her pointed hat. The cosplayer flares her nose, obviously holding an opinion.

“Well… What do  _ you _ think about?”

“Nyeh..? I think it’s a bad idea…”

“Me too,” Tenko agrees. Tsumugi nods, hands folded over her dress skirt.

“Yes, I also think that it’s… a little suspicious…” Her eyes are directed at Himiko, who asked the question, however The Aikido Master couldn’t help but think that this statement was also directed at her, “But we need to trust our friends, right? Like Tenko said: ‘In order for people to trust us, we need to trust them’!” 

“Right.” The mage nods, flashes of reminiscence dancing through her eyes. Tenko bobs her head up and down dumbly. 

“Alright, well I really should be going now,” The Ultimate Cosplayer waves, brushing past Himiko and turning to face them once more when she was already out the door, “Thanks again, Tenko. I’ll see you later?”

“Of course, Tsumugi!” Tenko replies, waving all the way until the door is closed. 

The remaining pair stood blankly for a moment, focus fixated on the now closed door.

Himiko turns, face scrunched in curiosity, “What was all that about?”

“She was just worried about me, I think.” Tenko responds truthfully, “She asked about… the seance.”

“Nyeh… how weird…” Her hands tug at her blazer, “What’d you tell her?”

The green-eyed girl knows that lying was not her strongest suit. Oh jeez, what if Himiko got really mad at her about telling Tsumugi about Angie? What if-

_ Since when was it Himiko’s responsibility? _ Says a thought, low and rude,  _ Since when does she get input? _

“I told her that Angie was a… hallucination I had. About what she said in the seance,” Tenko explains rather guiltily, “But nothing else!! That was it!! Also, I told her that you don’t know, so if she asks…”

“I know nothing.” Himiko finishes, mouth carved upwards into a rather smug smirk, “Who’s Angie?”

“Exactly.” Tenko jokes back. The weight on her chest lifts itself, extracted through the sudden laughter. Himiko was very funny. She really liked it when she laughed. She’s said that already, she knows, but whenever the mage cracks a smile Tenko’s chest fills itself with butterflies. It happens every time a girl beams, but with Himiko the butterflies swarm, lightening the gravity around her and sending Tenko flying with them.

“Alright, I’m gonna head out, yeah?” Himiko says, “I told Shuichi I’d help keep an eye on Gonta.”

Tenko nearly leaps at the opportunity to join her, but quickly halts to remind herself that distance was still necessary. Himiko needed her space, certainly not some six foot tall tree of muscle towering over her and stalking her every move.

“Got it!! I’ll see you later, and thank you for training with me!!”

“It was nice… I enjoyed it.” Himiko compliments, to which Tenko replies with a bashful smile, “See ya.”

“Bye!!”

The door once more closes. 

Training was a lot of fun. She found that teaching Neo-Aikido was a lot more entertaining than she originally thought, a new passion which had only just been formed. The Aikido Master truly hoped that the others enjoyed the lesson as much as she had, because she truly wanted to do it again. Shuichi had agreed to another training, and Himiko showed no falsity when she expressed her amusement in today’s exercise. The mage had not been as robust as the others, but she pushed herself and that was all that mattered.

_ Routine is good, _ Tenko reminds herself once more,  _ Routine is good for things going back to normal. _

“Speaking of routine….” She says out loud, raising her right arm and taking an unattractive whiff of her armpit. It smelled awful, “Maybe I should shower.”

She pushes herself off of the door, locks it, and takes approximately three long strides to get to the already-open bathroom door. The first thing she does is immediately start running the hot water, as it usually took a while for the shower to heat up. Plus, Tenko liked it extremely hot, so hot that her skin turned red. 

She passes by the mirror. When she flashes herself a grin, it looks only a little unconvincing. Through the steam that began to fog her reflection lay an uncertainty, an air of discomfort. Despite the heat of the shower, an icy chill still reverberates throughout her entire body. Something feels wrong. Feels out of place. 

Tenko looks down at the counter, and the Cut-No-Cut scissors are not there.

-=+=-

_ “God damn it.” A voice hisses, delayed by the computer, “God  _ damn it _ , Shirogane!” _

_ “This wasn’t my fucking fault!! I’m only in charge of the story!!” Tsumugi is hunched over a control board, blue hair sticking like glue to her sweaty forehead as a video call plays out in front of her, “ _ Kanemoto _ was in charge of cyber security!” _

_ “Do you know how many fans are pissed off!?” The voice retorts, the spit launching from his mouth audible even if he wasn’t there in person, “We’ve got thousands of fuckin’ complaints! This was supposed to be the iconic third chapter, with  _ two fuckin’ victims,  _ Shirogane! Not one!!” _

_ “How was I supposed to predict this would happen, Isobe!?” _

_ “Don’t even get me  _ started _ on how pissed off the boss is-” _

_ “He should be telling off Kanemoto! If I had known somebody would hijack the simulation I would have…. I don’t know, postponed the seance or some shit!!” _

_ “Well, what the fuck do we do now, Tsumugi!? We’ve got this aikido bitch roaming around, ALIVE, when we were supposed to take out  _ three _ people in Chapter Three!!” _

_ “I’ve already got an idea, calm down!” The cosplayer’s fingers type rapidly, words of script buffering and appearing before her. Her glasses reflect the green text, shielding her eyes from view. _

_ “Well it better be good. Our asses are on the line.”  _

_ Tsumugi huffs under her breath in , “Yeah, yeah. What’s the status of the rogue user?” _

_ “We can’t distinguish a name yet.” There’s loud typing on Isobe’s side of the screen as well, “The interns down at the station are callin’ ‘em ‘The Author’.” _

_ “ _ I’m _ the author.” The words are bitter and resentful, “This lousy hacker is just some attention-craved fan trying to fuck up my game.” _

_ As she scrolled back through her script, she couldn’t help but grimace sourly at the bright blue text which contrasted her original green. Sometime during Chapter 3, the calming blue had cut in, unannounced, and had written in a voice. A warning. This blue text had rewritten Tsumugi’s script, which had been so perfectly executed up until then, to give Tenko Chabashira a warning before her death.  _

_ The Aikido Master’s murder was one of Tsumugi’s favorites to write. It was meant to be gut-wrenching, leaving her character arch unfinished and killing her off abruptly. She was supposed to be used as character development for Himiko, giving the mage some sort of redemption arc. She wanted Himiko Yumeno to realize her mistakes, to develop her character around her loss and her grief, to live on in the name of her deceased friends, ones she would then hold so dearly to her heart. She didn’t want this. Jesus fucking Christ, she didn’t want Tenko to live. _

_ “You’ve gotta get rid of her.” Isobe says, as if the cosplayer didn’t know that already. _

_ “I will. Trust me, I’ve already got a plan.” Tsumugi promises. _

_ The light from the computer screen bounces off of the Cut-No-Cut scissors on her desk, illuminating Tsumugi’s blue hair. _

_ “I’ve got my survivors planned out.” She mutters, returning to her typing, “She won’t be one of them.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm? wonder what that was about.


	13. i will protect myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's something off.

The fourth floor was terribly quiet.

Considering how vigorously Miu had entered her room that afternoon, demanding that Tenko, quote on quote, “needed to drag her flat ass to the computer room”, the Aikido Master thought she’d be there waiting for her. As she roamed the fourth floor, it was clear the inventor was not waiting for her outside, rather she was in the computer lab already.

After a rather uneventful yesterday, and yet another 2am encounter with Shuichi (the pair had discussed what their favorite movie was. The detective had gone into great detail about why _Parasite_ was a cinematic masterpiece riddled with metaphors and symbolic cinematography. Tenko had to rather embarrassingly admit that her favorite movie was _Toy Story_ because she “liked Jessie a lot”), she was met the next day with a rather rude awakening. Breakfast was awkward, as usual, and missing two members of the class. Miu was in the computer lab and Kokichi was God knows where. 

The scissors, as well, did not make a reappearance. She convinced herself almost fully that they weren’t dangerous, that nobody could open them _but_ Himiko, and still it lingered in the back of her mind. Now she had two metaphorical weapons pointed at her neck, a sickle and a pair of magic scissors. Whoop dee-doo. 

Tenko spots bright red in the rather dark hallway, and feels a little more comfortable.

“Oh... hello, Tenko! Did Miu tell you to meet up, too?” Himiko hums.

“Hello!! Um, yes- Have you seen the Cut-No-Cut scissors?” 

The mage scrunches her eyebrows at the sudden change in subject, “I thought I took them back to my Research Lab?”

“No,” Tenko shakes her head, fingers scratching at the scar on her leg, “They were in my bathroom, from when you cut my hair! And now they’re not there.”

“Oh, um…. Where did you see them last?”

“I’m not sure… sometime yesterday??” Tenko grovels at a sudden thought, “I swear, if some _degenerate pervert_ snuck into _my bedroom_ I’m gonna _dropkick them into next week_!!!!”

“It doesn’t have to be a man, you know...”

“Really?? ‘Cause I know that some degenerates sneak into women’s rooms just to take their undergarments!!”

“Gross.” Himiko slurs, “But they only took the scissors, though...”

“If there _was_ a serial underwear-thief in this academy, I’d be sure to protect you from him, Himiko!!” She slices the air. At this point it’s only half-serious, the other half of her wishing to release some nerves before going to speak to the Ultimate Inventor.

The mage playfully rolls her eyes, turning back towards the door to the computer lab. It’s mechanical and ominous, whirs loudly when you step near it, as if warning you to back off. The crew already seemed to be in there. Everybody except Himiko, who was rocking back and forth on her feet, her sense of balance slightly off put, ringing her hands together. 

“She said we’d be able to get out of here,” The smaller girl mutters, eyes on the door as if glaring through it, “But this all smells really fishy… My magical instincts are telling me not to get involved with Miu.”

Tenko had to agree. She didn’t need Angie’s warnings to tell her that this was obviously incredibly suspicious. She wouldn’t tell Himiko this, but she had initially refused Miu’s demands of meeting everybody down at the computer lab. Her excuse was that she barely ate anything all day and she wanted to eat first (that was half true, the amount of food she ate with Shuichi in the middle of the night spoiled her appetite in the morning), but Miu had practically begged her to come. First it was insulting her, berating her into joining everybody, but it soon turned to such pitiable desperation that Tenko had to promise her she’d be there.

But she had been so upset the other day. The brunette could not shake the devastating image of the inventor, hyperventilating, hopeless and despairing on the floor of the dining hall, clawing and clinging onto anything she could. Surely she meant no harm. Tenko refused to believe somebody could bounce back from that so easily that she would plan a mur…… 

“Yeah….But we can trust her, right? She might have found a way to escape this place!!” The Aikido Master flashes the most confident smile she could muster, right fist raised valiantly, “Even if it’s a small chance, we should be willing to take it!”

Himiko notices how hard she was trying to be optimistic, and shook off her frown in place of a quirky half-smile, “Yeah… Maybe you’re right!! I should be living forward, and that means _moving_ forward!!”

“ _Yeah_!! But not too hard!!”

“ _But not too hard!!”_ Himiko replies giddily, chuckles woven in her sentences as she pumps both fists towards the ceiling.

Tenko twinkles, and without thinking she grabs Himiko’s hand, “Let’s go in, alright? If anything happens, I’ll protect you!” 

And with that they run in, the mage sprinting to catch up to the brunette’s half-jog, nearly crashing head first into the mechanical door. There was an awkward beat as they waited for it to open, slowly, but immediately after they went stumbling in.

Upon arrival the first thing the Aikido Master notices is the colossal robotic cube in the center of the room, a bright ruby red light glaring wickedly at the group and massive, clunky wires hanging out from its sides. There was no way you could miss it, it was probably double the height of Gonta, the tallest person there, and even then that was a stretch. Ten lounge chairs, a soothing coral color, were arranged on either side of the machine, positioned in rows which faced the opposite line. In front of each chair sat a regal wooden coffee table. Every table had a headset placed carefully on each of them.

“Virtual Reality” was something Tenko was faintly familiar with. All of her memories of it included school gossip, students rustling to tell their friends about the latest console. _It’s like you’re really in the game!_ They would say, _it’s like you’ve been transported or some shit!_ Tenko had never been one for virtual reality consoles, so naturally her understanding of them was limited. 

As suspected, every other student had been brought to the room. Even _Kokichi_ was there. Tenko had no idea where Miu would have found him.

Some of them sat in chairs wearily, while others hovered around the center of the room, neither wishing to get too close to the gigantic cube. Miu was chatting rather loudly at Shuichi, who by the looks of it had entered a few moments prior to the red and blue pair. 

“Don’t act all depressed just cuz you didn’t getta spend any alone time with me!” She grunts in response to something the detective had muttered out of Tenko’s earshot. She tugged on one of the massive wires connected to the cube before returning to the rest of the class, wiping her gloves on her skirt.

“Do I look depressed…?” He answers, smiling. It’s muttered and only a few people hear. Also yeah, he does.

“There’s no way we _wouldn’t_ show up when we were told there’s a chance to escape.” Tsumugi says. Her blazer has been tied around her waist, faint pit stains on her white shirt. Now that Tenko thought about it, it was _really_ hot in here. The machine was congesting the room in a sweltering heat.

Himiko twitches her nose, “But I still think it smells fishy.” 

“Really?” Kokichi chirps, eyes wide and sparkling, “Doesn’t it smell like something fun is going to happen instead?” His right cheek is bruising badly, and it's clear he’s tried to cover it with his hair but it still peeks through the purple. Even then, he smiles as if nothing happened.

“You always seem to show up for stuff like this, I’ve got you all figured out!” Kaito proclaims.

“Thanks!” The purple boy is saying this as if he _hadn’t_ been suckerpunched across the face by the astronaut yesterday, “The key to mutual friendship is understanding each other!”

Maki sighs, low and heavy, pushing her sleeves farther up her arms. It seems as if the heat was getting to her, as well, “...So, what’s this ‘way’ for getting out of here?”

“Is there really a way?” K1-B0 asks.

“Duh- _Doy,_ of _course_ there is!” Miu scoffs, scratching at her shoulder blade with a wrench, “Geniuses like me never make mistakes!” 

There’s an insincerity to that, Tenko notices. Whether she doesn’t fully believe there’s a way out, or she doesn’t fully believe she’s a genius is up in the air. 

Shuichi pushes sweaty hair out of his eyes, “So, how are we going to escape?”

Miu raps twice on the massive cube, playing it like a drum as the class turns towards it. She brilliantly extends her arms, presenting it magnificently, facial expression filled with pride, “We’re goin’ to **another world!** A world with no killing games and _no Monokuma!”_

The room erupts into chatter, much of it confused while the rest exclaim in shock or disbelief. Miu tries talking again but is quickly drowned out by the sea of voices. Himiko mutters something along the lines of “still fishy…” but Tenko can barely hear her and she was standing right next to her.

Shuichi clears his throat, “Another _world?”_ He asks.

The room falls to silence as Miu begins again, this time considerably louder so that people can hear her, “Oh… you wanna know? Huh? Do ya? I’ll tell ya if you bow to me! On your knees! Now!”

There’s something about that statement that made Tenko feel severely uncomfortable. Her knees lock and her hands recoil as if her body was intentionally making itself seem as far away from bowing as possible. To avoid anybody seeing how red her face must have inevitably gotten, she chooses to immediately avert her attention towards the glowing headset on the table next to her. 

They seemed to have two outlets, which presumably plugged into the extended wires from the cube. On the end of the wire were two cords: one red and one blue. The only direct correlation that Tenko could make with the wires was to that one American film. The Matrix? Where one pill unveiled the ugly truth and the other allowed you to continue in blissful ignorance? It was all very confusing, and also quite funny to her that the only way she could make sense of it was to connect it to some even _more_ confusing movie. 

“You want us to listen, right? Then get down on your knees and beg like a dog.”

Kokichi’s statement went through one of the Aikido Master’s ears and out the other, before immediately boomeranging back, “E- _Excuse me!?”_ Nobody hears her, which isn’t necessarily their fault. It was practically whispered.

“Wh-What the hell?” Miu has withered, shoulders collapsing in on themselves, “Isn’t that...weird?

_Didn’t you just suggest the same thing a few seconds ago…?_

“Everyone’s wasting their precious time on a worthless piece of trash like you. So you better bow down and beg,” It baffled Tenko, how serious he sounded, “C’mon, hurry up!”

“What? Wh- Why?” The inventor’s eyes shift from right to left, catching everyone’s gaze individually, “I stayed up all night getting this ready for everyone--” 

Kokichi sighs and brushes his purple hair out of his face sarcastically, exposing his bruise even further, “Okie then! Everyone, let’s go!” And with that, he gestures to the still crowd to leave, walking towards the exit.

“W-W-Wait!”

To the general crowd’s increasing shock, Miu begins to _actually_ beg, knees buckling from under her as tears begin to overflow onto her cheeks. Tenko practically has to leap to grab her, yanking her back up to her feet before she could embarrass herself.

“You _don’t_ have to grovel at some _perverted degenerate’s_ feet, Miu! We’ll listen!” Maybe she said that statement out of kindness, or maybe out of guilt. Ever since the dining hall incident, Tenko wasn’t sure she could go back to glossing over the inventor’s feelings.

Miu’s expression is blank. Her features are cold and her head looks downwards at her feet. Her blonde, now greasy hair draped over her, “I wanna…. Talk about it…”

“I actually feel sorry for her….” K1-B0 says.

“Aww, c’mon Tenko! Lighten up a little, ya?” Kokichi skips back to his original position in the room, “Besides, knowing this whore bitchlet she probably gets off on this.”

Tenko makes a noise in retaliation but nevertheless deattaches herself from the Ultimate Inventor. 

“Hey, let’s at least hear her out.” Tsumugi replies, firmly. Her soft teal eyes flicker towards the Aikido Master, as if quickly saying ‘ _I’m on your side’_ , and for a moment Tenko is grateful.

“Didja hear that Miu? Good for you!” Kokichi cheers.

Miu continues to stare deeply at the floor. It is hard to analyze exactly what was running through her mind, but it was clear that the ultimate inventor was melancholy about something. Her eyes showed the same emptiness as they did just moments before her complete meltdown two days ago, however this time much more tired. She had claimed herself she hadn’t been sleeping, working all night to complete this project, so it was clearly taking a toll on her now.

“How long are you going to be depressed for, you sow!?” The Ultimate Supreme Leader barks at her, “Hurry up and tell us, squid-breath!!”

She squeals, sudden energy sparking through her body, “Y-Yes sir!! U-Um… So when I said ‘another world’, I was talking about this big-ass computer…” She gestures at the massive, obvious cube in the center of the room and the class mutters amongst themselves in awe, “Th-There’s a device connected to the computer that you put on your head… It uploads your consciousness so you can go to a world created by a computer program.”

“A world created by a computer program?” Kaito repeats.

Gonta clomps forward, “Oh...Gonta understand! Exit is in that _kon-poo-ter_ box! So we gotta break it open and go in!?”

Miu jumps up, hugging the box in a way to shield it with her body, “N-No! If you try to force your way in, you’ll just destroy it!”

“You mean this virtual reality, right?” Maki asks.

“I-It’s more than just virtual reality… It’s…. A _Virtual World_ … Because…. Your consciousness will be able to move around as if you’re in the real world.”

Tenko’s stomach flips. Something about the whole ordeal gave her a heavy pit feeling in the bottom of her stomach, a sense of inevitability, as if something was bound to go wrong.

“Alright, now let’s go!” Miu urges.

Kaito takes a step back, “Huh? Go? Like, to the Virtual World?”

“Yeah! Let’s all go together!”

The Aikido Master looks down and finds Himiko glaring, eyes furrowed in an irritated confusion. There was too much information being thrown at her and not enough time to process it all before they were thrown into the next adventure, “No way!”

“I-I agree with Himiko!” Tenko echoes, “If she’s not going, I’m not going, either!”

“What!? Why!? You promised that we’d all come at the same time!!”

She begins to rant about something, words tangling themselves about _consciousness_ and _avatars_ and themes far from what Tenko was used to. The explanation only further knotted at her gut, gnawing at her anxiously. The scar on her leg was beginning to open again at her picking it. She needed to bandage it, she recognized, because she kept itching at it whenever she was even remotely anxious. And considering the situation she was in, that was very often.

She also recognized that this “Virtual World” was important to Miu. If everything the inventor had said was true, if there truly was a way to escape the killing game, it all started with willingly handing over your stream of consciousness to a machine. Technology wasn’t exactly Tenko’s strong suit, in fact sometimes it scared the poor girl with how quickly it progresses and how terrifying it can be. But at this point, the Aikido Master would give anything to escape this horrific game with her friend, and would do anything just to see the world again. To reconnect with her family, to train in the sun, to take Himiko to nice places and enjoy the freedom of the outside.

“...A world without murder and Monokuma!” Miu’s voice fades in, “Your body will basically be asleep for the duration. In that sense, it’ll be like a dream. Alright, let’s go!”

“Like I said, we’re not going.” Himiko repeats, tone unwavering, “It’s definitely dangerous.”

The brunette couldn’t disagree.

“Shut the _fuck up_ , donkey-lips!! I’m tellin’ you, it’s not fuckin’ dangerous!!” Miu snaps, exasperated.

“Saying that makes it sound even _more_ dangerous!” Himiko snaps back, to which the inventor replies with a trembling squeal. 

“Wh-What the--- Am I… really that untrustworthy? Well then, you’ll be relieved to know that I didn’t even create this Virtual World… Someone else made it, apparently.”

 _Somebody...else?_ Tenko scratches at the back of her neck, _Who else could have…_

With a whirling noise and bright fanfare, the monochrome bear appears once more from somewhere from the ceiling. At his arrival, the Aikido Master practically jumps six feet in the air.

“That’s right! It was me!” He declares with a thorough belly laugh. The Ultimate Mage was barely able to stomp her foot and hiss ‘ _I knew it!’_ before the ever-decreasing entourage of multi-colored bearcubs came tumbling through the mechanical door, cartwheeling and bouncing on their stubby little feet. 

To make things clearer, the death bear thoroughly explains how he initially intended on the “Virtual World” to be a killing game simulator, and it was used as a template to create the machine itself. Tsumugi immediately decides that she will not be going, a consensus that is quickly shared by the group, but Miu desperately cuts in to explain she had pulled multiple all-nighters just to investigate and rid the program of any dangerous mechanics. All dangerous objects that could be used as weapons had been deleted, had been erased from the simulation. She had swore that it was safe, a statement that Tenko could not attest was true or false.

Monokuma promised that the “ _truth of the outside world”_ was in that program. And with that, the students began to fold, one-by-one, into agreeing that it was worth a try.

“Curiosity is what moves a man.” Kaito proclaims, to which Tenko snobbily mutters “ _and woman”_ as a correction. With the Ultimate Astronaut consent, Maki soon follows, and then Shuichi is immediately forced under the guise that he shouldn’t cower away from it because it seemed “too dangerous”. Tsumugi had fought that that’s exactly _why_ they should cower away from it, but soon recognizes that the majority was turning towards going so she quickly changes opinion to appease the crowd.

“If there’s even a small chance that we can stop the killing game, we should take it.” K1-B0 had said. It was the same thing Tenko told Himiko just before entering the computer lab. How hypocritical of her to be weary of it now, “Yes… That’s what my _inner voice_ is telling me.”

Inner voice. That’s what his _inner voice_ told him, and what he will continue to obey.

To Tenko’s relative horror, Himiko had sullenly agreed as well, “Fine...I’ll go too. Being left behind would just make me worry.”

And, now that Himiko has agreed, Tenko would have to follow. Right? That was what she had promised, and it was basically an unspoken rule amongst the class that whatever Himiko did the Aikido Master would follow blindly. The group had practically moved on, ready to descend into the Virtual World with everybody, without hearing Tenko’s opinion on the matter. They had assumed she would go with the mage. 

But what…..Why did it feel so…. Wrong? Why were her legs refusing to move? Why was her mouth dry and unopening? Why-

_DON’T GO IN._

There it was. Somehow she had known it was going to happen, had been clenching her fists and preparing for Angie to reappear. Perhaps that’s why she remained silent, remained complacent, as if she was praying that something would stop her without her having to upset the others. However prepared she told herself she was, Tenko could have never predicted how _intense_ the warning was. She remembered that level of stubborn certainty in her voice. 

The last time Angie had been so certain of her warnings was when she was in the cage.

 _HEED MY CALL,_ it sounded so eerily similar to that dreaded day, so much so that Tenko could feel herself beginning to shake, _DON’T GO IN._

Oh god, it’s starting. Her lungs are restricting, preventing her from inhaling the parching heat around her. She needs to sit down, but at the same time she needs to run. Run as far as her trembling legs could take her. She needed fresh air, needed to get away from her class’s assembled stares, needed to escape. 

She needed to take Angie’s advice. 

_DON’T GO IN._

“Alright!” Miu claps, voice booming and deafening in the Aikido Master’s ears, “Then let’s get started before-”

“No.” Tenko says.

“-you cockroaches change-- ...What?”

“I don’t want to. I’m not going.” She confirms, voice strong despite her obviously shaken figure.

The class is stunned into an uncomfortable silence. It’s clear that all of them were expecting the brunette to agree with the class, to agree with _Himiko_ , so much so that such a strong negative opinion was foreign. And quite baffling. 

Angie just barely shuts up, her repeating chants of _dontgoindontgoindontgoin_ were now faint whispers, pounding in the back of her skull.

“Hey, what’s the fuckin’ deal? I already told you that it’s safe, so get your ass in one of those damn seats!” Miu spits. Many of her classmates had already placed themselves into lounge chairs, however few sat up once again.

“I-I’m sorry… I just-- Don’t think this is a good idea.”

“This might be the only way to see the truth of the outside world.” Shuichi counters, eyebrows furrowed in either sympathy or confusion, “If we’re all there together, we’ll be sure to find it!”

“If there’s even a small chance, we need to take it, remember?” Himiko says softly, as if reminding the Aikido Master what she had said before entering the computer room. Tenko twitches.

“I know that-- I just have a bad feeling. I really don’t-”

“C’ _mon_ , lanky-legs! You’re the only fuckin’ person here who won’t cooperate!!”

“ _Something’s_ telling me not too, okay!? I-I’m sorry, really!”

The Ultimate Mage perks up at the mention of ‘ _something’_ , sudden understanding washing over her facial expression. Surely she must recognize that Tenko was talking about Angie, and was trying to tell the redhead that it was another warning. Another premonition. The mage stands up from her chair, now uncertain herself.

Miu squeals at Tenko’s change in tone, as well as Himiko seemingly changing her mind, “W-What do I need to do?? I-I’ll beg if you need me too! I’ll do it!!”

The inventor falls to her knees and this time Tenko is too frozen to stop her. The others are growing increasingly restless, shoulders tensing and glaring eyes pointed at the Aikido Master. The green-eyed girl sheepishly accepted their tense stares, realizing that she was most definitely causing a scene.

“... I never expected _you_ to be the one to chicken out.” Maki says, her typically stony expression now hardened, “I thought it’d be Kaito.”

The Astronaut sputters a quick, “H-Hey!” But otherwise says nothing.

Kokichi swings his legs from where he sat on his coral chair, empty smile pointed at the tall brunette, “Y’know, Karate Kid… if you’re the _only_ person sitting out and something _were_ to happen… that’d be pretty suspicious, dontcha think?”

“You’re making it sound as if something _is_ going to happen…” Tsumugi mumbles.

As much as Tenko hated to admit it, the little degenerate did have a point. If the awful, horrific chance of another murder had happened while everybody was in the simulator, the same simulator that Miu had _sworn_ was safe and free of all dangerous objects, the brunette would be the most easy to pin the blame on. Surely she just went with them, and kept close to the others to ensure nothing happened to them or herself. No matter how badly she pounded that into her brain, desperately trying to convince herself that it would be okay, she was harshly overruled by Angie’s frantic and clamorous chorus of _DON’T GO IN DON’T GO IN DON’T GIVE IN DON’T GO IN._

Himiko looks at Tenko, her eyes glued to her just like the others were, however there’s a clear distinction between her soft copper eyes and the low glowering of the rest of the class, “I’ll stay out with her.” 

_Don’t go in. Don’t go in don’t go in._

Tenko releases a breath she doesn’t realise she was holding.

“Oh c-come _on!”_ Miu whines, still on the floor, “I work _all fuckin’ night_ just so _you two virgins_ can come in and _fuck it up!?”_

Tenko quickly stutters, “I-I’m feeling sick,” _Don’t go in,_ “I’m going to vomit if I put one of those things on.” 

“It doesn’t _work like tha-_ ”

“ _I’m not going in!”_ It comes out louder then she intended, but at this point her breathing is so heavy that her panic is visible to the entire class, “I-I said I’m not going in, so I’m _not going in._ ”

Through the sudden onslaught of objections and her peers yelling at her to just _let it go_ already, Kaito calls sourly, “Whatever, guys. We can just do it without her!! Just ignore her, already.”

“The space freak is right, Tenko clearly has made up her mind! If anything happens, we’ll just make sure to _immediately place all blame on her,_ ya?” Kokichi turns back to her, “You better accept my terms! I’ve got three hitmen waiting outside if you don’t~”

“Don’t be such a degenerate, _degenerate,_ ” The Aikido Master replies, “B-But if anything happens then…. I understand that I’ll be seen as the most guilty...”

“You _and_ your knock-off Gandalf assistant!”

“K- _Knock off!?_ ” Himiko retorts.

“I need to ask, what will the two of you be doing while we are in the simulation?” K1-B0 interrogates. The mage turns towards the brunette, who was trying to slow her breathing.

“Eating dinner, I guess...” She shrugs, “We’ll leave the computer room.”

There’s an expectant silence. The class remained still, as if hissing silently that they needed to leave. Clearly most of them were annoyed, sans the more compassionate ones like Shuichi and Gonta. Tenko wordlessly turns on her heel and escapes the blistering heat of the computer lab, the sudden chill of the hallway sending a sharp shiver down her spine. Himiko shuffles after her, and the pair are locked out of the room as soon as they make it down the hallway.

Angie fades, and soon all Tenko is met with is a congested silence. It’s stifling.

“I really think something bad is going to happen…” Himiko says for her, “Was that… _Angie_?”

Tenko can do nothing but nod, her throat dry and itchy. There’s an awful feeling of the inevitable eating at her. As if something was inevitably going to happen.

It was too late to turn back and explain.


	14. we're gonna escape this place, without resorting to killing!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's too late now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i told you guys, you either wait a week for an update or one day lmao time isn't real

“U-Um….5 of hearts?”

“Go fish.”

“Drats.” Tenko hisses, weakly reaching forward to grab at the center pile, “That’s my sixteenth card!!”

Himiko smirks behind her five cards, subtly gesturing at her countless piles of two she has already accumulated on her side of the table. As the brunette’s eyes slowly drift back to her own pathetic pile, a lousy three pairs, Tenko knew that winning against the cardmaster seemed practically impossible. How Himiko managed to be so good, handling her cards with such expertise it seemed as if she had been playing her whole life, was honestly appalling. Was such a simple card game such as “Go Fish” something you could be an expert at? Or an Ultimate at? The Ultimate “Go Fish” player sounded dorky. Sounded like someone you’d bully at school. 

“Nyeh… 10 of spades?” Himiko guesses. Tenko’s mouth hangs open as she hands over her 10 of spades card in awe. The mage collects it and quickly pairs it with her own 10 of spades, adding the duo to her pile of cards.

“ _ Wow _ , Himiko!! I didn’t know a person could be so good at Go Fish!!”

“I’ll let you in on my secret… I use my magic to check what cards you have.”

“WOW.” Tenko repeats, smile wide while her jaw remains on the floor and oblivious to her obvious cheating, “How did you get  _ so good _ at magic!?”

“I learned everything I know from my master. He’s known around the world as a legendary mage.” The redhead pridefully shuffles her cards around to create even spacing and neat piles with her cards, “My master taught me the fundamentals of magic. He let me help in his show as an assistant while I trained.”

“Woah!! You have a master too!? He must be pretty amazing if he taught  _ you _ , Himiko!!” She scans through her cards, “Um… 7 of clubs!!”

“Go fish.” Himiko replies, to which the Aikido Master huffs and picks up a card from the center deck, “And yes… he is the best mage! He’s the reason I-- his pupil-- became such a great mage. 8 of hearts?”

Tenko hands over her card, “I bet he must be using all of his magic just to find you, Himiko!!”

Suddenly, Himiko’s face drops, her expression hardening as she firmly grips her three remaining cards, “Well…. Nyeh…… It’s-” She clears her throat, and suddenly her neutral expression returns, “I haven’t…. Seen him in a while.”

“Oh.” Tenko replies, almost awkwardly. She wasn’t sure what else she was supposed to continue with.

_ Is he dead? No, that sounds weird. Don’t say that. Uh- What happened? Yeah. That makes sense. _

“Um… why the change of heart all of the sudden? I thought you hated boys.” The mage quips.

“Well, yes! My master taught me that all men are inherently evil and made me vow to always protect women!!” Tenko firmly replies, “But obviously somebody that trained such a great person as you can’t be that bad!! I believe that wholeheartedly!!”

There’s a faint pink blush that dusts Himiko’s cheeks, but she blocks it with her three remaining cards and a smirk, “Wow. I really didn’t know somebody could like me so much that they’d change their entire philosophy for me.”

_ Be smooth, Tenko. Don’t let her know you’d do anything for her at the drop of a hat. _

“I’d do anything for you.”  _ Perfect. _

There's a brief pause. Himiko sinks even further into her knees, curling into a protective ball. Tenko could  _ just _ manage to see red behind her deck of cards. It’s not from her hair, rather her cheeks.

“What did Angie say earlier?” The mage cuts in, quickly averting the subject. Her voice is small and higher in tone.

Tenko’s face scrunches slightly from her originally sunny disposition, the sudden reminder throwing her off of her game, “Oh! Um, she just… told me not to go in. The simulator, that is.”

“Was that all she said? ‘Don’t go in’?”

“Right. She doesn’t really elaborate much.”

“Oh, I remember. She’s incredibly vague to you, huh?”

“Yep!! But I still felt…” Tenko’s stomach churns. She had been truly feeling slightly unwell ever since she left the computer room, “Four of diamonds?”

“Go fish.”

The Aikido Master takes another card as well as a deep sip of her glass of water. As soon as the pair had made it to the dining hall, the mage had immediately grabbed a jug of water for the brunette, who was still pale and trembling. The urge to vomit had not left her, this sickening feeling of bile rising in her throat had yet to escape her. The only thing she could muster was weakly playing a simple card game, legs having collapsed a while ago and leaving her helplessly sitting in her chair. Things were beginning to settle down, at least hopefully. The more she sat down, focusing on the card game in front of her, the more her breathing seemed to follow suit. 

The brunette swallows hard, “Okay, your go.”

Himiko mumbles to herself, rubbing a strand of her flaming red hair between two fingers as she glared at her two cards with a raging ferocity. Her chin rests on her knees, body balling itself upwards in what can only be a method of increasing concentration. Tenko waited patiently, hands and deck on her lap, face down.

“....Eleven of spades?”

Tenko checks through her deck, raises her eyebrows in slight surprise, then replies, “Go fish.” At Himiko’s sigh, she quickly adds, “I think that’s the first time I’ve said that this game, if it helps!!”

“No, it’s fine… there was nothing I could do, anyways. None of my cards match what you have in your deck.” She blinks at her newest card, her smug grin returning as she reads, “Not for long, though.”

Tenko really liked Himiko’s smile. It was pretty. She also really appreciates how hard she was trying to change the subject, how good she was at distracting the Aikido Master from the crescents in her palms from how hard she had been clenching her fists, the rocking feeling she felt whenever she stood, the pit that made her felt as if her heart had plummeted into her stomach. 

How she distracted her from Angie’s warnings, repeating and skipping like a record player in the back of her head, distracted her from the Cut-No-Cut scissors that still remained hidden and gnawed at Tenko’s skin, how she…

“Here, take another sip of water,” Himiko says, gently guiding the cup into Tenko’s hand and gesturing for her to raise it to her mouth, “You’re shaking again.”

The Aikido Master nods, holding the cup in both of her vibrating hands, staring outwards at nothing.

“As you do that, I’m gonna reshuffle the deck,” Himiko takes hold of Tenko’s pile of cards, patting them back into one pile, “I was going to win, anyways.”

At least Tenko knew why she was feeling this way. She hated feeling overwhelming anxiety over something she couldn’t place, hated bearing this incredible weight on her shoulders but not being able to identify or justify why she felt so poorly. At  _ least _ Tenko knew she was anxious because of Angie’s warnings. Anxious about the killing game, of what could happen in that Virtual World. It eased her pain only a little, knowing what she could blame it on, however the nausea did not leave her body.

Himiko makes a spectacle of the card deck, folding and flipping them brilliantly. They flew in the air, as if she had never touched them at all, before gently gliding back down into her fingers. She divides them simply, and Tenko receives a stack of seven cards quicker than she could gasp in awe.

“I’ll start,” The mage declares, placing a pair of seven’s of hearts on the table, “Eight of spades?”

“What if something happens to them?” Tenko says out of the blue, eyes wandering and mind elsewhere, “Would it… Would it be my fault?”

“Why would it be your fault?”

Tenko flicks her thumb over her deck. There are two pairs that she could place down but her hands don’t move to do that, “Maybe I could have warned them. Maybe I should have fought harder-”

“Y’know, you’ve gotta cut yourself some slack. You wouldn’t be the sole person to blame, Tenko… Don’t listen to  _ Kokichi _ of all people…” Himiko mutters, “You had every right to be afraid. You’ve… been through a lot and it’s okay to-” Her eyebrows raise at the Aikido Master, a playful reminder, “ _ Feel emotions _ .”

“Right. Yeah!” She slowly,  _ very _ slowly places her pairs on the table, “Right. A-Also… yes, I do have that card.” She hands over her eight of spades.

Himiko accepts it cheerfully, which brings a light smile to Tenko’s face, “Your go!”

The Aikido Master looks at her cards, “Ten of diamonds? Also, thank you.”

“Go fish. And….nyeh? What for?”

“Just…” A brief pause, “I feel like I’ve been burdening you, but I really appreciate you… stepping out to help me.”

“I don’t think you’re a burden. Four of clubs?” Tenko hands over her four of clubs, “I’m being honest… Also I sort of get where you’re coming from. It sucks being anxious.”

“Ooh, from stage fright? I-I heard that performers sometimes got it before they went on for their act, but I had no clue that such a talented mage like  _ you _ got anxious!!” 

“I  _ never _ get stage fright! Himiko the Great is  _ always _ confident in her routines!” She falters slightly from her valorous stance, placing her duo of cards on the dining table, “And it was before all of  _ this  _ too… Just like, at school, and stuff…”

“Oh? What do you mean?” She sips on her water lightly, her words slightly muffled from behind the glass, “Um….Ace of spades?”

“Not even close.” Himiko answers, sarcastic in a humorous way before her face turns into a more steely expression, “And I used to get all worried before I went to school. Girls were mean there…” She watches as Tenko reaches for a card from the center deck, eyes narrowing as if imagining someone in front of her, her eyes seemingly fixated on this invisible person, “Always picked on me for the smallest reasons. I got stomach aches just thinking about going to class.”

Tenko feels a sudden and rather abrupt heat begin making its way through her chest and to her brain, ears turning bright red and nose flaring, “Well if I saw them, I’d break all their fingers!! That’d teach them to mess with such a powerful mage like you!!”

The redhead returns a fond smile, “Thanks… But you don’t need to do that. I’ll make sure to turn them all into frogs when I get out of here.”

“Cool, can I watch!?”

“Absolutely.”

“ _ Yes!!” _

“Queen of hearts?”

“ _ Darn!!!!” _ Tenko throws over her Queen of Hearts, to which Himiko places her duo on the table, “I’m so bad at this game.”

“I don’t think it’s that you’re necessarily  _ bad _ at the game…. I just think you have god-awful luck.”

Tenko shrugs, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, “Considering everything that’s happened… I’d say my luck is close to zero.”

“I mean, that whole seance situation was pretty lucky, when you think about it.”

“Yeah. Ten of clubs?” She sniffs as the mage hands over her card. It's the first time in the game that she had reluctantly handed over one of the cards in her deck. Tenko should have been a little more prepared beforehand. She was dealing with a mage, who guessed people’s cards for a  _ living _ . Obviously the magic redhead would prosper in a game against a mere mortal.

“Nyeh...Ten of  _ diamonds _ ?” Himiko mutters. Tenko only nods and passes her card, almost robotically at this point.

“Do you think… we should check on them?” The brunette suggests. It's been a request that has glued itself to the back of her mind, something she had been thinking about ever since she had left the computer room. She knew that the rest of her class were against the red and blue pair staying in the lab while they were unconscious in the real world, if their glares and jeers said anything, but the Aikido Master couldn’t choke down the lingering paranoia. She should at least check up on them, she told herself, should at  _ least _ make sure that they were okay. Kokichi had been speaking in riddles, almost  _ foreshadowing _ , and Miu still didn’t seem necessarily stable.

“Do they want us to?” Himiko spoke lowly, wisps of clear annoyance hidden in her tone. Throughout the first two games of “Go Fish” they played, she had complained about them the entire time. She criticized the crew for being “such a pain” when Tenko clearly had a reason to be a little paranoid, and how they clearly ignored her when it looked like she was no longer breathing. The Aikido Master spent the first two games trying to convince her otherwise, saying that they all just wanted to escape and it wasn’t their faults, however she was still reeling from the computer room so her arguments were extremely lack-luster, “It’s getting really late. I’m assuming they slept in the Virtual World overnight.”

Tenko hums and turns to look at the clock.

_ 6:33 AM???????? _

She rubs her eyes and realizes that the sun had in fact begun to rise. They had played “Go Fish” for  _ hours. _ Tenko was so distracted, so hypnotised by the small mage, that she allowed the  _ entire night _ to pass. 

There’s a tug at her chest, and she realizes she’s only the tiniest bit disheartened by the fact that Shuichi would not be joining her in the kitchen at 2 AM that night. He was starting to grow on her, as much as she absolutely  _ loathes _ admitting it. Maybe this was for the best, though. The detective was in dire need of a proper sleep, even if it  _ was _ in a Virtual World.

“Maybe just once? Before we get some sleep? If they’re awake, that means we can head to bed, right? Because we don’t have to act as surveillance anymore.” She scans hastily over her cards, “Ten of diamonds?”

“You’ve asked for that already. Go fish.” Himiko smirks, “And… Yeah, that sounds good. Should we end the game?”

“Sure! You were going to win, anyways.”

She hands over her cards and Himiko begins patting them back into one deck, spectacularly tossing them in the air and catching them once more in one neat pile. Everything falls into place.

-=+=-

“I spy with my little eye, something… red!”

Himiko exhales loudly, feet pattering against the concrete tiling, “Is it my hair again?”

Tenko’s mouth purses into a straight line, eyes unblinking, “......No…….”

“Then what is it?”

She pauses, ashamed, “.........your hair………”

“It’s been my hair for the last three rounds….” Himiko sighs rather playfully, “I don’t think these halls are exciting enough to play ‘I Spy’ in….”

Tenko wasn’t even looking at the halls around her. She had been so focused on the mage the entire walk, the way her nose twitches occasionally whenever it’s itchy, the way her eyes sparkled whenever she found something unique to use as an example in ‘I Spy’. Of course, her fiery red hair, which attracts Tenko attention from miles away. But yeah, sure, blame the boring halls on why the Aikido Master couldn’t find anything else worth noting.

“I-I mean, there are some things that are exciting!!” She disagrees half-heartedly, “Here, I’ll change it-- I spy with my little eye, something red!”

“My hair?”

“Nope!!”

“My eyes?”

“N- .....yeah.”

The mage rolls her eyes. There’s no malice intended, however. 

They begin their walk up the stairs towards the fourth floor, the same floor the computer room sat in. Considering how they did not use any of their friends as ‘I Spy’ examples it was safe to assume that the entire class was still in the room, presumably in the Virtual World. If something had happened, they would have immediately left the simulation, right? They would have ran down and told the duo, right? Yeah?

“Here, let me try,” Himiko takes a long, deep look at her surroundings as the pair turn a corner. The computer lab was getting closer, only a few more forks in the halls they’d have to navigate, “I spy with my little eye, something…”

If you were to remain incredibly silent, suck in your breath and hold it, you would be able to hear a faint shuffling in the hallway. Somebody was running, sprinting, trying desperately to escape.

“I spy with my little eye…something…..” Himiko repeats, eyes still searching for something more entertaining to guess than some cobblestone, “Something--  _ Purple!?” _

“Purple?” Tenko quizzes, head whipping left and right to try and find what the mage could possibly be talking about, “I don’t remember seeing anything purple-”

“No-  _ Sssshhh!” _

The mage grabs the Aikido Master’s arm, ducking behind a corner with a pointed finger over her lips to gesture for the brunette to be quiet. The footsteps become louder, now paired with frantic breathing. Somebody was fleeing, feet pounding against the pavement. The brunette just had to look at who it was.

As Tenko peeks over the corner, she catches only a glimpse of Kaito before he begins running down the stairs, skipping three steps at a time. His inhales are noisy and his coughs are chesty, full of phlegm. From just the fleeting moment that she saw his face, the expression she caught was undeniable. Pure fear. A burning disgust, a trembling obsession for anything that might catch him. He flees down the staircase with such speed that he doesn’t notice the pair hiding.

“Where’s he going?” Himiko asks as soon as he’s out of sight, “Where’s everybody else?”

The hallway is unnaturally still. The pair seem to have reached the same conclusion: everybody else must still be in the computer room.

Suddenly, with little warning, the nausea is back. Tenko’s legs feel as if they’re jelly, as if they’re ready to collapse at the most minor inconvenience. Her arms felt heavy with an unavoidable feeling of dread sinking in. The butterflies that were just fluttering in her stomach had turned into wasps. 

An awful gut feeling. Something was going to happen. Something  _ had  _ happened.

“I’m going in.” The mage’s wobbling voice just barely cuts in through Tenko’s wave of dizziness, before she fades from the corner of her eye, a flash of bright red quickly escaping her vision. 

The Aikido Master can’t breath. What should she do? Maybe she should follow Himiko. Yeah, that’s what she should do. She should run in blindly after her, fists brandished and willing to kick and struggle her way out of any situation.

Maybe she should follow Kaito? He seemed rather sickly, skin unnaturally pale. His wide, petrified eyes bore into Tenko’s soul, mouth agape in horror as he ran off. Was it her responsibility to sprint after him? Did she need to follow him down the stairs, away from the fourth floor, just to make sure he didn’t do anything suspicious? Or, dare she say, did she have to  _ check up _ on that idiot? Make sure he was….  _ Okay? _

Using the wall as a crutch, she begins hobbling towards the computer room. 

_ You’re working yourself up over nothing, _ she told herself,  _ it was only Kaito. If somebody had….died…. Then everybody would be out with him. _

Himiko had long since disappeared from Tenko’s line of sight. The familiar image of the small mage was the Aikido Master’s last remaining comfort, and now it had vanished, like a disappearing spell from one of her magic shows.

_ Nothing is wrong. Everything’s going to be fine. _ If she keeps saying it, it will come true,  _ Nothing is wrong. Just breathe. Breathe. _

She felt like she was choking. Her body lurches over suddenly, a mighty cough escaping from her throat. It took everything for her to avoid thinking about vomiting, because that would just lead to her getting incredibly sick and then she will  _ actually _ vomit. 

_ Keep moving forward. Don’t vomit. Breathe. Nothing is wrong. _

She should have tried harder. She should have fought harder. As soon as she had received that awful premonition, she should have made a greater effort to refuse, to make sure  _ everyone  _ had refused. Even if she had made a scene, even if she had irritated everybody even further, she should have done something,  _ anything _ to prevent this-

_ Prevent what? _ The rational part of her brain tells her,  _ Stop panicking. Prevent  _ **_what!?_ **

Even before Himiko had screamed, Tenko knew it was Miu. It was an awful, infectious, congestive feeling that had rooted itself in her gut and grew upwards. Something was going to happen with the inventor. Whether something happened  _ to _ her, or if she did something  _ to _ somebody else, it was inevitable.  _ Inevitable _ that something bad was going to happen.

Why had it not left her? This feeling of the inevitable?  _ Why can’t she escape it!? _

As she hobbles down the hallway, turning the corner towards the whirring hiss of the mechanical door which barricaded the computer room, she couldn’t help but take notice of the small mage. She stood in the doorway, chest heaving up and down, trembling hands covering her open mouth. 

“Tenko!? _ ” _ Himiko shrieks, voice wild and raw, her frantic scream emerging from the depths of her soul, “ _ Tenko!!” _

The brunette can’t see what she was looking at. She had to get closer,  _ had to protect her _ . 

“H-Huh!? Himiko!!  _ What is it!?”  _ The Aikido Master replies, legs awkwardly stumbling forward. One step, two steps, three steps. 

“It’s  _ Miu!!” _ The mage responds, clear shock constricting her throat and leaving her cries strangled, “ _ She’s dead!!” _

Oh, she should have tried harder. She should have tried harder to save Miu.

-=+=-

_“Everything is falling into place.”_ _Isobe says, wracking his hands nervously. Luckily, only the upper half of his body was visible, the other half having been cropped out of the computer screen he was calling from._

_ The Director hums, lips curled permanently downward, “It better. Did Tsumugi tell you what she was doing?” _

_ “Not… Exactly….” Isobe admits guiltily, “But she ensured it would be despair-inducing.” _

_ “Good. Our audience is still pissed about the whole ‘Tenko’ situation.” _

_ “I’m aware.” He drums his fingers on the desk in front of him, other hand rustling through notes and letters. On the very top is a handwritten memo from the Ultimate Cosplayer herself. It was an incredibly vague assurance that she would settle things, an almost detail-less scribble of her plan before she returned to the killing game as her character. He could barely pick up some of the words, having been so hastily written. There was something along the lines of ‘Poison’, but other than that it was barely legible.  _

_ “Three dead this chapter. Got it?” The Director asks. Isobe chokes out an agreement, nod rather unconvincing, “And so god help me, if another one of those fucking  _ warnings _ prevents anything-” _

_ “She’s got this one under control, I trust her.” _

_ The surveillance camera flickers to a loading screen, the Team Danganronpa logo blinking as the files begin accumulating. As soon as the cameras start working, the computer room is the very first sight. _

_ “The first death has already proceeded as planned,” Isobe remarks, “If everything pans out like Tsumugi said it would, then the original final cast will still be the last ones standing.” _

_ He tries desperately to ignore the invasiveness of the newest logo in the top right corner. There’s no way that he could get rid of it, the lines delicately painted into an A formation, the letter 3 appearing just below it. Underneath, a flickering sign reading “2100”. The number went up occasionally.  _

_ Tsumugi had told him about it, how it had nested itself onto her laptop and was practically invincible to remove. They threw guesses at what it could all mean like money at a stripper. The cosplayer had suggested that perhaps the number underneath it was the amount of money being accumulated through this intentional destruction of the killing game, however it was quickly overridden.  _

_ All Isobe could do was pray that it didn’t interfere with the killings. He believed in Tsumugi, however cocky she was, and he needed this job more than anything. He’s got kids at home. He has a family to feed. _

_ But dear god, why was the count getting higher? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, i'd just like to say thank you guys so much for all of your reads, kudos, and comments. i really do appreciate every single one of them, it's amazing knowing people actually read this lmao
> 
> thank you all <33


	15. ....i don't wanna do this anymore....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's barely any time to mourn miu before tenko is thrown into another predicament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go babey its showtime!!!!!!!!

**ding dong, dong ding!**

**“A body has been discovered! Now then-”**

Tenko lets out an ungodly shriek, screams so loud that it feels like her voice is ripping her throat in two. 

Her classmates remain frighteningly still, body’s limp and unmoving behind the virtual reality headsets. They can’t hear her screaming like a banshee. And they can’t see their dead classmate, lying lifelessly in the coral chair next to them, her hands mutely clawing at her neck and leaving angry gashes over her throat. 

Despite having been locked permanently in a position of struggle, Miu did not bear any external wounds, nothing that they could pin the cause of death on. Her eyes were wide, empty, drained of its familiar spark until all that was left was cold nothingness. Tears and snot ran down her face and had started dripping onto her clothes. Somebody had removed her headset. 

“ _ Miu!! _ ” Himiko barks at the inventor, leaping forward to shake the girl as if it would wake her. It does nothing. She sits, facial expression petrified and frozen, unwaking.

Without any warning, Tenko frantically runs over to the first degenerate she sees and rips off their headset in some desperate hope that  _ they _ end up being the culprit. That maybe,  _ maybe _ , she was able to rip them out of the Virtual World before they did any more harm. It ends up being the Ultimate Supreme Leader, Kokichi Ouma, who’s headset flies off and hits the floor. His eyes are wide open, glassy and expressionless, however he does not respond to Tenko practically throwing him against his own chair.

“Th-They won’t wake up!!” Tenko cries as she rocks Kokichi a few times more, “ _ They won’t wake up!!” _

“Okay... Okay…. Don’t panic!! We’ll-- We’ll go to the Virtual World and tell them!!” The redhead picks up one of the spare headsets, the same headset that she was  _ supposed  _ to be wearing right now, and throws herself on the chair. She quickly becomes disheartened as she realizes the wires sticking out of the daunting machine in the center of the room, the wires that remain connected to her classmate’s headsets and most likely were important in their powering. There were too many outlets, too many missing instructions that she couldn’t piece together. She didn’t have a mechanical mind, did not have the ability to place wires and cords together two steps ahead. She wasn’t Miu.

“ _ Crap!” _ Himiko hisses, grabbing a cord and holding it up towards her eyes as if it was the most foreign object she has ever seen, “ _ How am I supposed to do this!?” _

With a lack-luster chime and a magnificent tumble, Monokuma enters from the ceiling and practically sends Tenko into orbit.

“Hey, what’s the big deal!?” He grovels, miniscule arms waving threateningly at their unconscious classmates, “There was a body discovery announcement and you all decide to take a  _ nap!? _ ”

Neither of them were too keen on playing into his facetious quips at the moment, “How do I enter the simulation!?” Himiko demands from her chair, assembling the wires and disassembling them once she thinks they’re wrong, “W-We need to tell them!!”

“Can’t a bear catch a break?? First I’m babysitting my precious children, and now I’ve got  _ you _ all to cottle!?” He releases a massive sigh, as if telling Himiko how to enter the simulation so she could heartbreakingly tell her friends that Miu Iruma had been murdered was the hardest possible thing he had ever been asked to do in his life, “Jeez…  _ Fine!! _ I’ll tell ya’ how to enter the simulation. But you owe me  _ big time!! _ ”

Tenko couldn’t say she was surprised at Miu’s death, and that must have been what was making her feel worse. She wasn’t surprised because she knew, somewhere deep down inside of her, that something was going to happen to the inventor. If only she had acted on this impulse, screamed and kicked and stomped on the headsets, ripped the wires out from the machine, set fire to the Virtual World, maybe this would have been prevented. And that only led to more questions: could this have been prevented? Was it coded into Miu Iruma’s fate, destined for the Ultimate Inventor to perish at the hands of the killing game? Did she ever have a choice in that matter? Did any of them?

She needed to do something or she was going to faint from breathing so fast. Her fists needed to punch something, her legs needed to run, her throat needed to scream. She never got used to seeing dead bodies, had not once felt numb upon the sight of her friend’s murder. It was the same horrified, repulsed reaction emitting from the basal of Tenko’s chest. She didn’t want to feel it again.  _ Why did she have to feel it again? _

What can she do? What should she do? What was useful right now, as she stood helpless in front of Miu’s corpse? She wasn’t sure if she could bear going into the Virtual World with Himiko, wasn’t sure if her body could handle it without retching. And how long will it take until Angie comes back to jab her warning’s down Tenko’s throat again? 

Does she immediately start investigating? Everybody knows she was awful at that, could barely look at the body for more than five seconds at a time before growing increasingly agitated and defensive. But she needed to know who did this to her. Which  _ degenerate _ had drained the life of her friend, and mercilessly slaughtered her.

_ Kaito _ .

That idiot had run away from the crime scene, eyes wide and frightened as if he had been caught in headlights. He must have ran to hide, ran to cover up the murder weapon, ran to escape his classmates as they began to wake from the simulation. He just  _ screamed  _ ‘guilty’, and Tenko knew what she had to do. Her hands fidget, feet scuffling against the floor, eyebrows furrowed and heavy.

“I’m going to find Kaito.” She growls, “I- I  _ know _ he did this.”

Monokuma halts his lecture to Himiko and turns unusually silent, but the mage does not notice his stillness. 

“ _ Go. _ ” She consents, her eyes watering. She must have known how guilty he was too, must have known how all of the signs pointed at him being the murderer. Her hands trembled with rage and could barely hold the wires that Monokuma had been gesturing to.

Tenko nods, like a soldier to a sergeant, and begins her march out of the doorway. Before she is fully able to leave, Himiko yells out her name, remembering something.

“What?” The Aikido Master didn’t mean for it to sound so cruel, however in light of recent events it made sense that her tension escaped through her tone.

The red mage stares at her with a raging intensity, copper irises locked onto Tenko’s pale green. Her voice is desperate, shaking, as if her request was the only thing she could hold on to.

“ _ Don’t _ kill him.” She begs, gripping into the arms of her lounge chair and leaving dents where her nails were, “ _ You know what will happen. _ ”

Of course she knows what will happen. She can’t get those cruel executions out of her brain no matter how many nights of sleep they take from her, no matter how hard she tried to shove them away from thought. Every time she had witnessed an execution, made to stand there and stare as her classmates were subjected to cruel, slow, agonizing torture, she had made a promise. The same promise every time. The same, empty promise that she would not allow the killing game to continue. And every time, every single time, she had broken that promise. Had made a liar out of herself. Had thrown their deaths away like it meant nothing to her.

She’d be damned if she threw her own life away too. 

“I won’t.” Tenko promises. But she doesn’t promise she won’t hurt him, because she knows she’s going to. It’s unstoppable at this point. There’s something behind Himiko’s eyes that tells the Aikido Master that she wouldn’t mind.

Her trip down to the courtyard was incredibly noisy despite the absence of any sound. It seemed that every gust of wind, every footstep she made, had turned into racking shrieks, fingernails against a chalkboard. Her whole body shook with noiseless, convulsive sobs. Why did it have to be her? What did she do to deserve an early death? What had she done to _Kaito? Why did_ ** _he_** **_do this?_**

She ends up in the courtyard and she doesn’t know why she went there. Her body moved on its own, floating. The layout of the school has long since been engraved into her brain so even if her vision had been blurred with tears she was able to safely navigate the halls. The fresh air did not help. It seemed to enter her mouth but stop at her throat, quickly rebounding. Even outside, she could barely breathe.

“Tenko!”

The Aikido Master whips herself around so quickly she blacks out for a second, head rushing and whirling. She sees a flash of amethyst in the distance, growing bigger as it approaches, huffing and wheezing. Instinctively her fists clench, so hard they begin shaking even more.

“ _ There _ you are,” Kaito pants. He was smiling. It’s disheveled, of course, distress hidden in the corners of his twitching lips, but  _ god _ . She just wanted to wipe that flippant, cocky,  _ degenerate _ smile right off of his damn face, “I-I’ve been looking all around for you and Himiko!! It’s Miu, she’s-”

Tenko swings. Her punch hits him square in the left eye, knocks him backwards and onto the concrete with a pained grunt. The shock silences him for a second, but he quickly comes back to his senses once the Aikido Master grabs him by the collar.

“ _ What did you do to Miu!?” _ She screams, spit flying as she grips his white shirt in her hands, “ _ What did you do, damnit!?” _

Kaito’s eyes narrow, anger flushing his facial expression, “Wh-What the  _ fuck!? Get off me!” _

The brunette throws the man to the concrete once more, slamming him against his back. The Ultimate Astronaut flips himself over, coughing onto the pavement. Once Tenko sees the specks of blood that had started to appear from those coughs, she decides to voluntarily take a few steps back before she does anything too rash. The last thing she needed was another…  _ scenario _ . To summarize for those who forgot, it involved one degenerate male and her fists. And his face.

She takes two shaky inhales and still her lungs do not fill with oxygen. She wants to punch again,  _ so badly,  _ but she can’t let herself go too far. She made a promise to Himiko.

“Miu,” She rasps, “You  _ killed _ her!!”

The astronaut turns to Tenko with pure bewilderment. His face is hardened in fury, left eye beginning to swell, but there is clear confusion laced in his expression, “What!? No I- I didn’t fucking kill her, I swear! I got logged out and I ran to find you guys, I couldn’t have-”

“You were the  _ only _ other person out of the simulation!!” She barks back, “It had to be you,  _ degenerate-!!” _

“-killed her!  _ I got logged out!!  _ I didn’t do fucking shit to her- _ ” _

“Quit lying and admit it before I  _ throw you into orbit _ !!!”

_ “Shut up!!” _ He yells, “Can you listen to me for  _ one goddamn second!?” _

“ **_Don’t tell me to shut up, Kaito!_ ** ” Tenko shrieks, taking one broad step forward in warning, to which he shuffles backwards in response. 

Neither of them make any motion to attack next, both reaching an uncomfortable, exhausted silence. Tenko glares pointedly at the man, awaiting his next move, before wiping her face in the crook of her elbow. Snot and tears were streaming down her cheeks without any sign of stopping. While incredibly embarrassing, she allowed them to fall, body still trembling from the cruel sight she had just witnessed. If Kaito had said anything about her tears he would have received a solid punch to his good remaining eye.

“Listen,” He begins, hands up as an offer of truce, “I know I look real fishy… But I swear…. I  _ swear _ on my  _ life _ that I didn’t kill her.”

Why didn’t Tenko want to believe him? Everything about him oozed sincerity, from the drip of blood emerging from the corner of his lips to his sapphire irises, which stare directly at the Aikido Master without breaking. Every part of her wants to call a surrender, help him up,  _ trust  _ in him, but something keeps her from doing so. Some backpedaling, blistering voice in the back of her skull that freezes her body into abstaining. 

She can’t do anything but grit a heavy, “.... _ Okay.” _

“Okay?” He confirms, one hand moving to push himself off of the ground.

“Okay.”

He very slowly begins to move, struggling quite obviously, muttering under his breath rather irritatedly. The softness that he had been trying so hard to portray as he asked for peace was now washed away and replaced with stony, annoyed features. Tenko makes no movement to help him. The air around her feels like it’s sinking.

He’s on his feet once more, hobbling over slightly as he regains his balance and also possibly his lost pride. He’s shaking too, Tenko notices, however, whether it was from all the sprinting he had been doing or from Miu’s death was lost on her. He must have seen her like that once he escaped the Virtual World, if we’re going off of the assumption he  _ didn’t  _ kill her. But if he was truly startled, he was making a huge effort to not show it. Comparing his reaction to Tenko’s reaction is like comparing a hamster to a wild boar. 

“I got logged out against my will,” He begins explaining, maintaining a wide distance between himself and the still-emotional Aikido Master, “I-I have no clue what happened… but all a’ the sudden I was awake. And with that whole scene you made about not going in the simulator-” Tenko shoots him a dangerous glare, “I just figured I’d stay there, yeah? And figure out how to get back in to warn-”

“You’re basically  _ admitting _ to it!!” She argues, “You were the  _ only one awake when she died!! _ ”

“No- Hear me out!! A-As I was trying to get back into the Virtual World, all a’ the sudden Miu began choking and shit- I tried my hardest to save her, I  _ really _ tried!! I ripped the headset off of her but she wouldn’t stop!!”

“You-” Tenko cuts herself off. She wants to say something along the lines of ‘you should have tried harder’, but that was a hypocritical statement. Even then, the gears began turning in her head, “She began choking… while she was  _ in _ the Virtual World?”

Kaito scratches at his goatee, subtly wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, “I’ve got no clue, man… My sidekick’s the one whose good at solving things…”

“Sidekick?” She interrogates. Her voice still remains low and menacing despite her exterior showing incredible weakness. 

“Y’know, Shuichi!! He’s the Ultimate Detective!” There it is again, his cocky, confident smile. Even if he was grinning Tenko could still sense fury behind his eyes. He’s definitely still not over being decked in the face, “I’m sure he’ll get this all figured out… Yeah… Uh, is he awake?”

“No.” She snarls, “It was just me and Himiko. Everybody else was still in the Virtual World. And if you’ve got  _ nothing else to do out here, _ then we’re going back to meet up with them. Right now!!”

“Jeez, alright!” 

“You’re walking in front of me,  _ degenerate _ . I’m keeping my eye on you!!” She demands, waiting as Kaito walks begrudgingly in front of her, stomping and huffing, “And don’t even  _ think _ about ru-”

**ding dong, dong ding!**

_ Huh? _

The Ultimate Astronaut and the Ultimate Aikido Master both simultaneously freeze in position, their childish bickering pausing instantly. They know that chime all too well. They know of its haunting melody, the chipper tone with hideous undertones. They  _ know _ what they were about to see after it. It was a startling reminder of Rantaro with his head splattered across the floor, of Ryoma’s bare bones sinking helplessly to the bottom of a piranha-infested tank, of  _ Angie _ with her neck slit open for the entire class to observe in horror. Of Miu, hands clawing at invisible hands, choking her eternally.

“W-Well…. This is awkward….” Monotaro begins. His voice echoes through a speaker, almost like a school’s PA system. Tenko can only stare down at the floor, body stiffening, “Who would’ve thought there’d be another victim during an investigation...?”

_ Another… victim….? _

“Oh,  _ shit… _ ” Kaito mutters under his breath, looking around complete in shock, hands running anxiously through his hair. Two victims.  _ Two victims. _

There’s a bright sound of somebody retching in the background. Monophanie was gagging, throwing up behind Monotaro’s announcement. Even if they couldn’t see them, the noise itself made Tenko rock, suddenly dizzy. Even Kaito looked increasingly pale. 

“Everyone, get to the computer room!” The intercom shutters off with a loud reverb, ringing in the pair’s ears.

“Oh god, it’s…” Kaito swallows, teeth clenched, “You left Himiko alone! She could have-”

She left Himiko alone. Oh, dear god, she  _ left Himiko  _ **_alone._ **

The sky is falling around her. Her breathing fastens. Hands shaking. Body trembling. She can’t move. Oh god, she  _ needs to move.  _ What if something happened to her? What if  _ she _ was the victim? What would happen if Tenko walked into that computer room just to find her friend dead?  _ Murdered? _ It would be all the Aikido Master’s fault. She shouldn’t have left her. She was supposed to  _ protect _ her for god’s sake. She was  _ supposed to protect her!! _ That was her only goal throughout this entire killing game, to protect the girls and get them out of this hellscape  _ alive _ , and she’s already failed not once, not twice, but  _ four times.  _ And now she sits there and allows her only friend, the only person she had ever cared about without fault throughout the entire game, to be murdered.

_ How useless are you, Tenko!? This is your goddamn fault!!  _ If anybody were to touch her right now she would for sure begin screaming her head off. She’s on another plane of existence, one that is choking her. Drowning her underneath a wave of water. Stabbing her through the throat with a sickle.  _ You had one job. One goddamn job.  _

Kaito begins running, sprinting off without her to find out who the second victim was. He doesn’t turn back.

_ Himiko is dead, and it’s  _ **_all your fault._ **

She needs to run after him, she knows. It takes all of her willpower to break through this barrier she’s placed in front of her, to begin taking steps forward. She doesn’t want to look. She just wants Himiko to come running out to her. She doesn’t want to walk into the computer room, just to find her lying dead, lifeless. 

Maybe she should just sit down. Drop dead. If she blacks out, she can’t learn of anything bad, right? In that case, maybe she shouldn’t go to that room at all! She’ll just sit in the cool grass and think of nothing.

No, she had to. The others are waiting for her. They need her to begin the investigation. It’s the only way they can bring justice for Miu. And for… whoever the second person killed was.

For a little more strength, she shouts. Shouts just for the sake of letting her emotions out. It echoes down the hallways and fades into the darkness. Her short, choppy steps turn into longer strides. She was going to go to that computer room, and she was  _ going _ to find out who else was dead.

And it’s  _ not _ going to be Himiko. It won’t be, so she needs to stop telling herself it is.

_ She doesn’t know what she’ll do if it was the mage. _

She approaches the fourth floor and is immediately met with a wall of sound. There’s yelling-- angry, horrified yelling-- coming from the far computer room. It sounds like the entire class had begun screaming at once, shouting profanities and accusations as they stared undoubtedly at the  _ two _ corpses. They could do nothing but wait for everybody to arrive, leaving them restless and disgusted as they share a room with two freshly dead bodies. A putrid smell flooded the hallways, the smell of something sharp and toxic. Poison? ...Blood? Either way, Tenko has to hold her breath as she approaches.

“What were you doing this whole time, Kaito? What were you doing?” It’s Kokichi’s voice she’s able to identify first. It cuts through the noise like a knife, venomous and accusing.

The Ultimate Astronaut had most likely just arrived a few moments prior to Tenko running up the stairs, “I-I was just going to find Himiko and Tenko, tell ‘em about Miu! I had no clue that someone _ else _ got mur-”

“Where’s Tenko!?”

It’s Himiko’s voice. She recognized it from the sea of noise coming from the distant computer room. It’s higher, chirpier, yet in that moment was filled with a rather terrified anger. And with her reassuring voice, Tenko nearly collapses out of relief. Not that she would wish murder on any of her other classmates, but she was so glad Himiko was alive. It was an awful thing to say.  _ I’m glad you weren’t the one murdered. _

“Out in the courtyard, I thought she was following-”

“Well,  _ obviously,  _ she’s  _ not! _ ” She’s annoyed. It’s not too harsh, perhaps out of respect for the dead, but she’s still clearly agitated. 

“Wow, she musta smacked you hard!” Kokichi's voice sings at Kaito, to which the astronaut growls at, “Your eye’s already starting to bruise!”

“Tough talk for somebody within  _ punching dista-” _

“It’s terrible!” That voice must be coming from Tsumugi, however it’s so plain that it could be  _ anybody’s _ , really. She’s talking to other classmates that aren’t Kokichi and Kaito, however for some reason Tenko picks up her voice, “W-Why did it end up like this!? Who did this to-”

Shuichi and Maki are having their own conversation. For the most part it was low and quiet, however the Aikido Master managed to pick up part of a shaky sentence from Shuichi, “...Miu’s cause of death is up in the air, b-but I can see how  _ his _ death was certainly done outside of the Virtual World…” 

She turns a corner and the revolting, metallic smell of blood grows heavier. She’s getting closer, the noises louder, banging against her skull.

“I’m here!” She yells, even if no one wants to hear her. She just felt like letting somebody know she was alright, even if it fell upon deaf ears, “I’m here.”

K1-B0 is the first person she sees. He stands almost motionless, staring at Miu with furrowed metallic brows. There was clear distress across his face, as much as his robotic form could muster, as he stared pointedly at his deceased friend. Miu stares blankly back, almost through him, her own face filled with ungodly terror. She was screaming for help, for K1-B0 to save her, but he knew it was too late.

The Ultimate Supreme Leader abruptly leaves his conversation with Kaito, skipping on his toes towards the entrance where Tenko stood dumbly. 

“Where have  _ you _ been, Karate Kid?” Kokichi’s nickname for her has stuck now, and at this point there was no telling if he would ever stop calling her that, “Frolicking? Singing with the birds? Killing someone, mayhaps?”

Tenko steps completely into the room with newfound obliviousness to what she was inevitably stepping into, “Of course not, you  _ little- _ ”

Blood. It threw her off guard. The fresh, sickly red color had splattered all over the left side of the machine, some cruel form of abstract art, expressionism. A wool cleaning rag, a long one that you could find in the kitchen, was shoved into a crevice in the machine, clearly stained with red. The same color painted itself over the corpse’s lips, waterfalling down his chin and cascading down his neck. The headset covered his eyes, presenting him as almost peaceful. 

If you had cleaned the blood, wiped down the weapon sticking out of his neck, the Ultimate Entomologist almost looked like he was sleeping. 

It was Gonta. Of all people, Tenko had never expected  _ Gonta _ to be the one somebody would murder. It seemed almost impossible, with his unthinkably muscled body rendering him almost invincible, his bare fists alone able to strike down armed weapons. Of course, it wasn’t just his strength that made his murder immensely shocking, but rather his heart. He was such a nice person. Past all of Tenko’s drilled in prejudice, despite all of her years of training and discrimination, even  _ she _ was able to see that. Able to see every time he would approach to help if somebody looked even the tiniest bit inconvenienced, how even after Tenko had threatened him for being a degenerate he still did everything he could to ensure she felt safe around him. He did everything he could to make others know that they were safe. A true friend. A true gentleman.

Now he sat on his coral chair, entering the Virtual World and never escaping it. A tiny bottle of something, big enough it could sit in the middle of Tenko’s palm, had been dropped and shattered onto his bare feet. His skin was pale, veins popping and clearly visible. Half of a pair of scissors, silver and iridescent, have been stabbed into the right side of his throat. It had been drawn across his neck, leaving an ugly, ferocious, horizontal gash. The other half of the scissors sat on his lap, as if Gonta had just finished an arts and crafts project. 

Blood runs down his throat, however it seemed considerably less than Tenko had imagined there would be. The most blood came from his mouth.

The Aikido Master must have whispered something under her breath, maybe out of shock, because Kaito turns to her with a huff, “I thought you knew about this already? You just decked me in the eye over it!!”

“I knew about  _ Miu- _ ” Her name felt like acid against her tongue, almost as if she wasn’t  _ allowed _ to say it, “I-I didn’t know about- I didn’t know about Gonta. He wasn’t like that when we…” She cuts herself off at the risk of gagging. A lump forms in her throat and she has to turn away.

She never gets used to it. No matter how much she tells herself she is, she is never prepared to see a dead body.

“It’s  _ horrible. _ ” Tsumugi cries, trembling hands reaching to touch Gonta, however she recoils at the sight of blood, “Who could do something like this…? He didn’t  _ deserve this…!” _

It’s clear that Tsumugi was the most upset over Gonta, considering how he was probably her closest friend in this academy. Tenko couldn’t imagine how awful she must be feeling, considering how terrible she felt just  _ thinking _ about Himiko being killed. To provide some sort of comfort, Tenko extends a protective hand towards Tsumugi’s shoulder, which the Cosplayer reacts to by crumbling into the brunette’s arms. Tenko can do nothing but hug her, shield her from looking at the corpse. It’s awful. It’s  _ awful. _

Tsumugi was right. He didn’t deserve this. He might have been the _last_ _person_ to deserve this.

As soon as Kokichi is handed a monofile, his flashy demeanor returns. It's a contrast between the expressionless, rather miserable looking man she had seen sitting in the coral chair just moments ago. However great his facade, he can’t hide his muted skin color, paling as he purposefully turns to avoid the sight of the corpses. He balls his fists, presenting an aura of playfulness, however Tenko can see clearly that he’s trying to keep his hands from shaking.

“Okay, everyone! Let’s do this!” He taps his monofile open as if it was some sort of game, “I’ll find the culprit this time, no matter what!”

If he  _ had _ grieved the death of his two classmates, Tenko had missed it. He didn’t even bother to spare a pity tear, having moved passed it almost instantaneously. His overly exuberant characteristics juxtaposed the sullen, melancholy devastation of his surrounding classmates.

“What are you being so cheery about!?” Himiko snaps. The brunette wasn’t sure if she had managed to make it to the Virtual World, unsure if Monokuma had lent his help that far.

“Well, what’re you sad about? You guys hated her! Not as much as you hate me, but still!” Kokichi replies.

Maki is the closest to the body, face stiff as she examines. Even before Monokuma began handing out the monofiles, further explaining what had happened to the two corpses, she began investigating. 

Shuichi takes a few deep breaths, stabilizing himself, and then joins her. He has long since read over the contents of the monopad, inhaled the information and began his detective work. There was a reason they gave him the title of Ultimate Detective, and this was it.

The rest of the room falls almost silent from their restless chatter, forcing themselves to assist in the investigation, choking down their horror or stepping out to collect themselves. Tsumugi thanks Tenko timidly and asks to leave for a glass of water before she helps search for clues. K1-B0 stares at the wall for a few minutes, recalibrating, refusing to answer anybody when asked if he was ready to go. 

Kokichi pairs with the Ultimate Detective and throws rather crude comments whenever he points out an important detail of the case. There’s no end to his facetious quips. It seems the more the supreme leader indulges himself in flippant remarks, the more color returns to his face. Tenko hates the little man, but can at least respect that people have different ways of handling shock.

Kaito pulls the blood-stained rag from the machine and hums at it briefly. The brunette is barely able to see it before he shoves it back into place.

The Aikido Master follows as Himiko inches over to Gonta, watching with mild disgust as Maki carefully removes the virtual reality headset. Suddenly, the entomologist doesn’t look so peaceful. His eyes are completely bloodshot, wide and unblinking. The Ultimate Assassin holds the headset over his skull for a moment, debating whether or not she should cover his eyes once more out of respect, but ultimately proceeds to place it on the table in front of her. 

“It’s weird.” Maki tells the two girls, “The exact cause of death has been obscured in the monopad. It’s almost as if Monokuma is telling us that the throat wound  _ wasn’t _ the cause of death.”

The ruby-eyed assassin reaches down to take the second half of the scissors from Gonta’s lap, holding it to the light and allowing it to reflect into Tenko’s eyes. The Aikido Master can only blink, grateful for the excuse to look away from the corpse.

“They match perfectly.” Maki concludes, holding the two halves close to each other. Sure enough, they form one pair of scissors. One pair of familiar-looking scissors. She observes them carefully and then sits them back into Gonta’s lap, walking off to converse with Shuichi. Tenko stands with Himiko.

Where did the culprit get those from? The familiarity bugged Tenko, yanked at her hair, irked her to no end. Surely there’s…

“ _ I don’t know how those got there,” _ Himiko hisses under her breath. It’s desperate, low and quiet so that their classmates couldn’t hear her, “ _ I don’t know what happened, but I haven’t touched them since I cut your hair. I swear.” _

Tenko only blinks in confusion at this shared secret. She let’s a moment pass by, head racing and filled with thoughts.

“ _ What?” _ She whispers back. Himiko shoots her a warning look, as the Aikido Master’s whispers were almost as loud as the mage’s regular speaking volume.

The redhead tilts her head in the direction of the scissors, and all of the sudden the brunette knows where she had seen them before. Himiko’s Ultimate Research Lab. The bathroom counter. Those were the same scissors that had been used to chop off her long hair. The same scissors that went missing just days earlier. She had been so happy to see it’s magic, clapping at them like a young child on their birthday. Tenko had watched Himiko hold it in her small hands, had marveled at them like they were a prized jewel. She had applauded a murder weapon. 

The Cut-No-Cut scissors, once used for a harmless magic trick, were now lodged into the corpse’s throat.

Open. The scissors were open. The last time Tenko had seen them, they had been closed. Her mind blinks back to the day her hair had been chopped off, how they lay on her bathroom counter, waiting to be used. She hated the implications the open scissors brought,  _ hated _ the next thought that materialized in her brain. No matter how much she wanted to, Tenko Chabashira couldn’t choke down the hideous truth. 

_ Himiko is the only person who can open those scissors. _

“I didn’t kill him,” Himiko is shaking her head, eyes drilling into the entomologist’s head as if she was trying to convince Gonta himself of her innocence, “ _ I didn’t kill him. _ ”


	16. we've come so far already!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> investigation: start!

_“Tsumugi, what the fuck was that!?” Isobe scowls, hands making wild gestures in front of him, “You just fucking killed off our blackened!!”_

_“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.”_

_“Now what!?” His hands pull at his hair, yanking strands out of place, “How are you planning on fixing this!?”_

_“I’m not_ fixing _anything, because nothing is broken.”_

_Tsumugi fingers type diligently at her screen, eyes never leaving it, not even as she half-heartedly responds to Isobe’s rants. Phase One and Two were both successful in their own right, and the only thing she had to do now was sit back and watch as Phase Three fell into place. It was off-script for sure, and heavily reliant on the reactions and characterisation of her classmates, but it was going to work. She had written them perfectly, and was certain that she understood the core of their personalities well enough that falsifying the blackened during the fourth trial would be easy. She was sure it was going to work._

_Hijacking things were easier than they looked. It took rather little effort to erase her logout time from the simulation; she just needed to delete a few lines of code. Everything about her screamed innocent. There was nothing at the crime scene that could be linked back to her. Even if Tenko called her out on the Cut-No-Cut scissors, she could always just say she couldn’t open them. Or that somebody took the key and stole them later._

_“I already have scissors in my_ own _lab!! Why would I take yours??” She’ll sob, “Why would you pin the blame on plain ol’ me?”_

_Who would they rather believe, the psychopathic misandrist with violent tendencies and the closest connection to Himiko, with whom the scissors belonged to? Or the plain, simple cosplayer with no motive to kill her friend?_

_Just a few more tears and Tsumugi will even things out. If she throws herself a pity party, nobody will even_ dare _to suspect her. She’ll act devastated._

 _She had written Tenko specifically to never wish harm on her female classmates. It was incredibly unlikely she’d call the cosplayer out on the scissors. In fact, it seems more possible at the moment that she_ takes the blame _for her instead. And if she didn't take the blame for_ Tsumugi, _she’d take the blame for_ Himiko.

_Yes, it’s perfect. If she could just divert the suspicion onto the tiny mage, then Tenko would blindly take the blame for her. She was written that way._

_She better head back. She told them she was “grabbing a glass of water” twenty minutes ago now._

-=+=-

“Uh, h-hey guys….” Shuichi politely interrupts, fingers rapping against his monopad, “I just have a couple of questions to ask you, if that’s alright?”

Tenko and Himiko had been “investigating” the Ultimate Detective’s Research Lab, attempting to identify what the small bottle by Gonta’s feet had been. And by “investigating”, I mean they stared at the shelves blankly as they held their own completely unrelated conversation. Most of the time was spent discussing how they were going to explain the Cut-No-Cut scissors as innocently and truthfully as possible, both nervously whisper-shouting at each other. The Aikido Master had to be told multiple times to quieten her volume, as she increasingly grew louder the more she discussed it. No matter what light they painted the murder weapon in, the blood still remained on their hands.

“Nyeh….Go ahead.” Himiko agrees, leading the march towards one of the chaise lounges. She pats her tiny hand on the spot next to her, gesturing for Tenko to take a seat besides her. Rather nervously, the brunette does. She feels small comfort in the mage sitting next to her, her rather calm demeanor influencing the Aikido Master.

“Okay... Before we start, I just need to let you know this is being recorded. That’s okay with you guys, right?” It’s routine for him to say it. Every time he asks his classmates for an alibi he records their statement. Everybody knew he needed to do it, and have repeated multiple times they were fine with being recorded, but Shuichi still asks anyway.

“Sure, I guess.” Himiko answers. 

The detective and the mage wait patiently a few seconds before the redhead taps the brunette on the shoulder. She awakes from her daydream and hastily replies with a high-pitched “yeah!”, inching closer towards her friend as means of solace. 

“Alright,” Shuichi places his monopad on the table in front of him and hits the record feature. As soon as the red dot appears the Aikido Master feels unnerved. 

The Ultimate Detective grips his monofile in his hand. The information he wishes to discuss is already on his screen. Preparing for her next move, Himiko grabs her own monofile, angling it so that both her and Tenko could see.

“First things first, could the two of you both tell me where you were during the time of the murder? Uh, Himiko… If you could go first?”

“Sure,” The redhead twitches her nose. It’s a simple enough question, and she had a fairly solid alibi, “Tenko and I were in the dining hall the entire time… After you all went into the Virtual World we walked past my Research Lab to grab a deck of cards... and then went to grab some food.”

“You were in the dining hall… for about eight hours? What were you doing there?”

“We played a lot of ‘Go Fish’.” Himiko answers seriously, “I grabbed her some water from the kitchen ‘cuz she didn’t want to eat… And we just ended up talking and playing games. But no matter how hard she tried, she was no match for a great mage such as me.”

“Yes, that’s true!!” Tenko confirms, “She kicked my butt!!”

“And besides,” The redhead continues, “We didn’t want to go to sleep while you all were still in the simulation. We both had a bad feeling…”

“Which I guess was fairly accurate, huh…” The raven-haired boy murmurs sullenly, eyes glued on his monofile, “I’m guessing your alibi is rather similar, right, Tenko? Since you were both with each other the whole time?”

“That’s right.” Tenko nods. It’s the first time she’s talked to Shuichi since before he entered the Virtual World. The circumstances could be much better. 

“Could either of you place a time on those events?” He asks.

Himiko rubs the palm of her hand against her eyes, scrolling through her tablet and squinting at the listed times, “Well, you all went into the simulation around 11:00 PM… So we went to my Research Lab around 11:10 PM and to the dining hall maybe ten minutes after that…”

“What time did you discover the first body?”

“6:39.” Tenko answers acutely. It was the exact time. She remembered it so clearly, recalling the exact moment she walked into the computer room only to find the Ultimate Inventor’s corpse.

“Alright… This is where you guys split up, right? So, uh, Himiko- You first, what did you do then?”

“After I saw Miu’s body… I offered to go into the Virtual World to find you all. Tenko said she was going to find Kaito,” Her face hardens, lips pursing, “I had to get help from Monokuma to enter the simulation… And by the time he actually told me how to enter it was around 6:45 AM….”

The timetable of login and logouts have already been investigated, documented onto the monofile for the entire class to see. Tenko couldn’t read military time, but was positive that Himiko’s documented login time added up to her story. Kaito was the first to log out at 5:17, followed by K1-B0 at 6:55. The rest of the class filed out only seconds apart, with Kokichi being the last awake at 7:00. 

The mage continues with a pained huff, “I ran to find all of you guys… and I logged out with you all. Gonta was dead when I woke up.”

“You didn’t see him at all during the simulation?”

“No. I only heard what Kokichi had said…”

The duo nod at each other and Tenko feels like she’s looking in on somebody else’s conversation. They know something that she does not. From what she picked up, Kokichi must have alerted the others of Gonta’s death. If Gonta had been murdered outside of the Virtual World, would he die inside of it, to? Perhaps the Ultimate Supreme Leader was the first person to truly discover his body. She almost felt….. _Bad_ for him. It doesn’t last long, of course, quickly shoved down by her disgust for the grape scented menace. 

“Thanks, Himiko…” He pauses just to flick through the monofiles. Tenko blanches a little as he sets it on his lap, presenting the file for “Murder Weapon” clear as day. The image of Gonta, stabbed and sliced through the throat, was not any less gruesome through a screen then it was in person, “Alright, Tenko. Uh, could you describe what happened once you left the computer room?”

“Sure, Shuichi! Uh…” As soon as she blinks, her memory escapes through her ears. Suddenly the slightest of noises outside of the Research Lab have increased tenfold in volume, her attention pasting itself to the reflection on one of the marble pillars outside. Himiko has to gently push her monofile into her hands in order for Tenko to snap back.

“I ran to find Kaito,” She recalls, eyebrows knotting together in dread and remembrance, “I ran to find him… Because I thought he did it. I thought he killed Miu.”

The detective nods, inching closer. This only causes Tenko to instinctively press her back farther into her chair.

She grimaces and continues, “I may have…. Punched him a little… But I was really mad at the time-!”

“Yeah, he told me about that… He’s still a little annoyed, but he’ll get over it.” The detective jokes lightly, returning an amicable smile, “Do you know how long that took? What time did you meet Kaito?”

“W-Well, if we found Miu’s body at 6:39, then I’d say I found Kaito… Around 6:43? I power-walked to the courtyard, so it could have been faster!!” 

“Her legs are very long,” Himiko adds, head nodding, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she got to him at 6:40…”

Shuichi offers an amused exhale as a response, because laughing felt wrong. Out of place in such a cruel, horrifying situation, “He also mentioned you were seperated for a moment when he ran back to the computer room…”

“Yes! I was just… I just needed a second, that’s all! Before I went back to see who the second victim was.” 

There’s a moment of pause. She had admitted to being alone because she thought there was no way it could lead to any suspicion, however his silence sent a chill up her spine. Maybe she _had_ said something wrong. For being so disconnected and unfocused just mere seconds ago, her brain was sure being hyper critical of every syllable uttered presently. Her words were the only barrier she had between herself and the inevitable blame and suspicion from her classmates. They were the only protection she could give to Himiko. A simple digit of time could be the deciding factor between life and death.

She thinks to every interval of time when she was alone. Every period where speculation could arise from her classmates: the miniscule moment when Himiko had run ahead of her before they discovered Miu’s body, the walk from the computer room to the courtyard, the few minutes where she had stood still after the second body discovery announcement. 

“Alright, this last one’s a little more pointed at Himiko, but uh- Tenko, if you know anything, please. Don’t hesitate to speak up.” 

It’s the moment they had been dreading. The pit in the Aikido Master’s stomach widens and swallows her whole. As the Ultimate Detective pushes his monofile forward, presenting the image of the Cut-No-Cut scissors to the noticeably hesitant pair, Tenko feels her face scrunch unkindly. 

“I asked about Gonta’s murder weapon to the rest of the class,” He begins, voice mild and certain, “People have told me it came from your Research Lab, Himiko.”

“Who? Who said that!?” Tenko immediately accuses. If she needs to lie to get her friend out of the hot seat, so be it, “If it’s one of those _degenerate_ males, I’ll make sure I _delete their kneecaps-!!”_

“Tenko,” Himiko intervenes, turning her head aside as if cutting Shuichi out of the conversation, “I know that neither of us did it… So the best thing to do is just be honest about it…”

The raven-haired boy blinks in curiosity, “U-Uh, sorry, honest about what?”

“Silence, degenerate! Himiko and I are having a suspiciously private side-conversation!!” Tenko announces loudly, then turns back to her friend in a low whisper, “I don’t want all of the blame falling on you.”

“Well, it’s going to come out one way or another! Rather it now then in the middle of a trial….”

The pair turn to the boy with almost frightening synchronicity, shoot each other one last convoluted look, then immediately position themselves back into interview formation. Shuichi shifts uncomfortably at their unwavering stares that drill into his head. Tenko softens only the slightest bit, aware that the detective was a little more sensitive than the other degenerates, but nonetheless her seriousness remained.

“The scissors _are_ mine,” Himiko confesses, “But I need to explain.”

Shuichi nods in curiosity, “Go on.”

The mage goes on to admitting _everything_ , how she had first introduced the murder weapon to Tenko as an instrument for cutting her hair off, which the detective could obviously tell was the truth based on the Aikido Master’s choppy shoulder-length bob. She explains how she had left them on Tenko’s bathroom counter, and the day they were supposed to leave for the Virtual World the Aikido Master had asked her where they had gone. Neither of them had known the answer. 

She tells him honestly and with great candour about how only she can open them. When asked if there was a trick behind them, perhaps a latch or something that another person could use to open and dismantle them, both Tenko and Himiko objected on the claim that it was real magic. He had only hummed, knowing that argument would lead him nowhere. 

Tenko clarifies that she could not pinpoint an exact time when the scissors had gone missing. She had a general time (the afternoon), and a day (the day she had taught Neo-Aikido), but other than that the time was lost on her. She cursed her scrambled thoughts and her useless brain for not being able to remember details that should have been important.

“Did you misplace your keys?” Shuichi asks her, attempting to draw more out of the forgetful brunette, “Who had you let into your room?”

"Well, uh, the last time I can remember seeing them was when... It was me, Himiko, and..."

She knew the answer to that. Himiko and her both knew. Accusing the fragile cosplayer just seemed morally wrong, like even thinking about naming Tsumugi as the culprit was worthy of punishment. She bites the inside of her cheeks, clear guilt ridden across her facial expression, clenching so hard she might draw blood soon. Suddenly and without warning, she lunges over and hits the pause button on the monopad, halting the recording.

Shuichi’s eyebrows raise in slight shock, “Oh, um, what was that for…?”

“I don’t want to be recorded…. I feel bad about this, but…” Tenko inhales, holding her breath as she debates inwardly whether she should come clean, and releases it heavily, “Himiko and... Tsumugi were the last people I saw before those scissors went missing. I’m not trying to imply anything, though-!!!”

“No, no, that’s actually really helpful. Are you sure you don’t want that recorded?”

“I just- Well I _absolutely_ know it's not Himiko, so I will _not_ back you up on that. But, um…. If it comes up during trial and you have _absolutely no other option but to accuse Tsumugi_ then… I’ll back you up. But only then! She’s upset enough as it is and I hate accusing her but she’s the only-”

“It’s all good, Tenko. I’m sure she’ll understand…” Himiko offers in consolation. 

“Himiko’s right. Sometimes to get to the truth we have to accuse people, even if we think there’s no way possible they could have done it.” The detective begins to pack up his things, shoving his monopad into a pocket inside of his jacket, “Have you guys found the matching bottle? For the shattered glass?”

Tenko blanks again, “Uh……”

“The only thing close to it is this one bottle of poison we found.” Himiko takes over for her. It’s clear that she had at least done _some_ actual investigating, “Here, let me show you.”

The mage leads Shuichi over to the corner of the room where she handpicks a tiny blue bottle of poison that matches the shattered glass perfectly. Their conversation fades, white noise in the background, as Tenko sits dumbly in her seat. This trial was not about to run smoothly for the Aikido Master. Surely she must be used to it now, having been a major suspect in the class trial previously, however something rested uneasily in her stomach. She believed in the truth, and she believed in her classmates (note: female), so surely this information won’t come back to bite her in the butt, right? That was the correct thing to do, be entirely honest so that her friends knew they could trust her. Right? Yeah.

_Right?_

Maybe she should grab a glass of water and meet up with Tsumugi. Her stomach still felt a little queasy. She was considerably far away from the two corpses, however the overpowering scent of death- of a vile, toxic poison- still seeps through her nostrils and burns her nose hairs. It’s as if they had followed her, lingering behind her, showering her in their blood and choking her with their rotting scent. They hissed in her ear, words that melded together and formed their own incomprehensible language, all words of pure malice and hatred. Guilting her. Shaming her.

Water seemed nice. Or maybe she should consider choking down some food. Himiko had eaten both dinner and breakfast, although rather peckish, but the mage couldn’t manage to convince Tenko to eat anything. The brunette was convinced that she would only end up upchucking her meal if she thinks about the new corpses for a fraction of a millisecond. But a healthy body meant a healthy mind, yeah? And food was important for that!

... _Or was it a healthy mind, healthy body? Or are they interchangeable? Or…._

-=+=-

No matter the answer, she’s made it to the kitchen, anyways. There she finds Tsumugi Shirogane, full glass of water nesting her hands, eyes puffy and red. Despite her rather defeated exterior, she was currently conversing excitedly with a rather confused Kaito. It seems he entered the kitchen with a different motive than chatting with the cosplayer, but as soon as she began rambling he found it too rude to leave mid-conversation and took to standing there idiotically. Maki also apparently had walked in with him, preparing to investigate, but now hovered nearby, boredly flicking at a metal spoon left out on the counter. 

As soon as she sees the Ultimate Astronaut, Tenko has the sudden urge to turn around and walk in the opposite direction. If what Shuichi had just told her said anything, he was still awfully mad at her for punching him in the eye. But when she thinks about it, what’s the worst he could do? Hit a girl? She’d make sure he’d see stars without having to go to space, _that’s for sure_.

She’ll just grab a quick snack-- a granola bar, maybe-- and leave. Too many cooks in the kitchen. There were things she needed to investigate, things _they_ needed to be investigating, as well.

“Well, if it isn’t Female Rocky!” Kaito greets sarcastically. As he turns away from Tsumugi, his left eye becomes much clearer. It’s red and clearly looks painful, but it will heal. It won’t bruise, like Kokichi’s cheek, “How’s the investigation going?”

Tenko retaliates with the same harsh tone, “I should be asking the same question, _degenerate_! Why are you sitting around and distracting Tsumugi? There are things you should be doing!”

“Um… Tenko? Not to be rude, but you _are_ in the kitchen with us…” As she says that, the cosplayer's shoulders scrunch as if she was trying to make herself seem smaller.

Kaito exhales rather loudly. Both him and the Aikido Master held an aura of childishness, of petty anger. He’s the stereotypical “male”: brash, loud, and cocky. She’s got a kid-like stubbornness, absolutely no filter, and a burning repulsion for the typical man. There’s no wonder neither of them got along too well with each other.

“I _was_ investigating!!” Kaito retorts, “I was checking to see if the rag at the crime scene matched the ones in the kitchen!! And they _do!!_ ” He bends down to grab one of the spare cleaning rags in a storage cabinet. Sure enough, the color and length matched the one at the scene perfectly, “See??”

“ _Uegh,_ fine! But you should know better than to sit around and distract others!!”

Similar to a child being caught with a baseball bat in his hands after a broken window had been discovered, Kaito says, “But I _wasn’t-”_

“She’s right,” Maki plays on. Tenko doesn’t realize it, but she’s smirking at her own joke, “Stop distracting us, Kaito.”

“ _I’m-”_ He’s unable to finish as he sputters. The Aikido Master wants to say something else, rub it in a little more, but she pauses once she hears a light giggle. It’s awkward sounding and rather unusual, like her own chuckles. Tenko realizes it’s the first time she’s ever heard Maki laugh. Even if it is rather sarcastic and low, considering the events they were in currently, it’s still refreshing to hear. Kaito must have realized this too, because instead of continuing with their petty argument he begins smiling alongside her.

“Anyways,” The assassin finishes, stony demeanor returning, “We were stopped by Tsumugi on the way out. She was trying to explain the plot of _Ghost Stories_ to us.”

“While the original flopped in Japan, the American dub is actually rather entertaining! They rebranded it as a dark comedy instead of it’s original horror genre, and-”

“Thank you, Tsumugi. Very cool.” Maki cuts in, “I think it’s time to leave now. We have more investigating to do. Right, Kaito?”

“Right.” He agrees almost instantly, snapping a very quick photo of the matching rag and then throwing it back into the cabinet, “We’ll talk later, Tsumugi. Keep up the great work, and we’ll be sure to find the truth in no time!” He turns to the Aikido Master and barely shoots her a passing glance, “Tenko.”

“Kaito.” She returns as a harsh goodbye. The duo leave wordlessly, no doubt off to the computer room to rendezvous with the Ultimate Detective about their findings. 

As the room silences in on the cosplayer and the Aikido Master, Tenko finds herself with the undeniable urge to tell her everything. The crushing guilt weighs down on her, the overwhelming sensation of guilt pulling her to the ground. She felt awful about throwing her under the bus to Shuichi, and had broken a promise to defend the girls of the academy no matter the cost. And after Tsumugi had been so nice to her, too! After she had gone out of her way to make sure everything was okay with the brunette, this was how she repaid her?

“Hey, Tsumugi!” Tenko begins nervously, teeth bared into an anxious smile to hide her heavy feeling of culpability, “Um, how are you?”

“I’m… a little better….” It’s uncertain at best, “Oh dear, I haven’t even _begun_ investigating- I’m terribly sorry, I’m just plain useless at collecting evidence-”

The Aikido Master twitches, hands up as means of consolation, “No, that’s okay! I understand! I am also awful!! I think the only thing I’ve done is give Shuichi my alibi.”

“Me too!” She agrees, hands clasped at her chest. God, did Tenko feel awful about abstaining from the truth, “It’s just awful, these circumstances… I can’t understand why someone-”

She chokes, removing her glasses to wipe some falling tears. She tries her hardest to compose herself but inexorably fails, hiding her face in her hands. From the looks of it, she had already wiped away her tears from crying previously, only just now allowing herself to wilt in the presence of the Aikido Master. It was a sign of trust, a sign of comfortability around the brunette, that she felt safe enough to express signs of weakness. She hadn’t cried in front of Kaito or Maki, just her. And Tenko had just willingly broken that trust, accusing her of something she didn’t commit. 

Tenko shuffles over and embraces her in a warm hug. The cosplayer falls into it rather willingly, however the brunette feels herself stiffen in dread. Tenko feels like a terrible person. She’s the worst possible being on this planet. How could she do that to her? Honestly? 

_Maybe I should keep quiet about the scissors. She’s already emotional. Yeah, I’ll keep quiet._

“I had to tell Shuichi about the scissors.” She vomits the words almost instantly after that thought comes to her, “And I told you were the last person I saw them with. But I really didn’t mean to throw any of the blame on you, if anything that was completely my fault!! I should have been keeping an eye on them and honestly they had escaped my mind ‘cause I didn’t think anything would happen with them but now I know-”

“You…. told Shuichi I stole the scissors?”

_Wow. WOW, Tenko. You are just SO awful. Truly. How would you feel? If you had just lost your closest friend and confidant in this academy and somebody immediately accuses you of something you didn’t do?_

_Calm down. It’s not that big of a deal._

Tsumugi releases herself gently from the hug. Her voice was high, just soft enough that Tenko could hear, laced with betrayal and melancholy. 

“I didn’t say you stole them!! I- Um…” Her stance is frozen, halted in place, “I really didn’t mean anything by it…”

The cosplayers eyes narrow. There’s an emotion behind her cool blue irises, sorrow mixed behind a sudden flash of anger. Her face is unreadable, the tears falling down her cheeks wordlessly and hitting the floor without much of a care. Her hands have fallen to her sides, and do not move to wipe the water in her eyes.

She stares blankly at Tenko, her next words blunt, “Do you think I killed them? Do you think I killed Miu and Gonta?”

“No!” The Aikido Master immediately returns, hands waving wildly in defense, “ _Never,_ Tsumugi!! I-I really didn’t mean it like that, I promise-!”

“Oh, okay.” She returns. Her smile is rather hollow, eyes stabbing into her skull. Tenko has never seen Tsumugi this way, “I just… Nevermind.”

She turns to leave without another mention towards the brunette, wistfully and silently, almost as if she had never entered the kitchen in the first place. The aura she leaves in the room is suffocating, guilt seeping into her throat and choking Tenko with it’s oppressiveness. The stark contrast between the simple, timid cosplayer and the humourless, vacant expression she had just given the Aikido Master then. It ruffles the brunette, gluing her to the floor, head frozen in place and forever staring at where Tsumugi had just been.

It almost felt… threatening. Surely it was her paranoia seeping in again. As much as she hated to admit it, _he_ still lingered in the back of her mind and held great influence over her actions. It would make sense for Tenko to nitpick at every interaction for danger, to hyper analyze every look, every stare.

But with the cosplayer, it felt unnatural. Like maybe, just possibly, she wasn’t supposed to see that.

Tenko doesn’t end up grabbing any food. She’ll go to the class trial hungry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here are all of the new truth bullets! [brackets indicate lie bullets]
> 
> Shattered Poison Bottle [Shattered Antidote Bottle]: The shattered glass was found at the feet of Gonta Gokuhara. After comparing it with the bottles in the Ultimate Detective's Research Lab, both Himiko and Tenko have confirmed it is most likely poison.
> 
> Poison Side Effects [Himiko's Misunderstanding]: After Himiko compared the glass to the small bottle of poison, she was able to identify a list of side effects upon use. It causes subconjunctival hemmorhaging, making its victim's eyes completely bloodshot. The poison is neutralized if mixed with anything, but it is still quite dangerous and even a small amount will kill someone.
> 
> Cut-No-Cut Scissors [Arts-and-Craft Scissors]: A pair of magic scissors had been broken into two halves. One half was used as a possible murder weapon while the other half sat on Gonta Gokuhara's lap. Tsumugi, Kaito, Maki, Tenko, and Himiko all attest to the scissors being from the Ultimate Magician's Research Lab. The scissors have a specific method used to open and close them, however Himiko insists it is real magic and only she knows how to use them.
> 
> Rag Stained with Blood [Dry Cleaning Rag]: A rag was found at the crime scene, shoved hastily into a crook in the Killing Game Simulator. Kaito and Maki both have stated that the rag came from the kitchen.
> 
> Gonta's Corpse [Gonta Alive]: Gonta was found with his neck sliced open and blood coming out of his mouth. Upon the removal of his visor, his eyes appeared bloodshot and wide open. 
> 
> Tenko's Account [Tenko's Lie]: Both her and Himiko had spent the night playing cards games in the dining hall. Upon discovering Miu's corpse, Tenko immediately fled to find Kaito, leaving Himiko alone. Once having found him, the pair returned to the computer room to find Gonta dead. 
> 
> Kaito's Account [Kaito's Lie]: Kaito was the only one logged out from the Virtual World. While he was looking for the secret of the outside world on the mansion's rooftop, a ring of light appeared around his feet and he was suddenly logged out against his will. Spurred by Tenko's prior outburst, Kaito remained in the computer room as security. He states that Miu began choking from inside the Virtual World. As soon as she was confirmed dead, he ran to find Himiko and Tenko.
> 
> Himiko's Account [Himiko's Lie]: Himiko had spent the night playing card games with Tenko in the dining hall. As soon as Miu's corpse had been discovered, Himiko immediately requested that Monokuma assist her in going to the Virtual World. She logged in to tell everyone about the body discovery, and then logged out with the group.
> 
> Kokichi's Account [Kokichi's Lie]: As he had begun to leave the mansion, Kokichi had ran into Tsumugi, causing him to turn in the opposite direction. As he headed back up the the roof, however, Gonta's avatar lay motionless on the ground. He was alone on the rooftop. 
> 
> Stolen Pair of Scissors [Hidden Pair of Scissors]: Tenko insists that the Cut-No-Cut scissors were stolen or misplaced about two days before the murder took place. She states that the last person she saw them with was either Tsumugi or Himiko.


	17. looks like this little degenerate wants his head smashed into the ground.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 1 of the fourth trial! oh boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note time, babey!! here we go!!!
> 
> 1) ive begun addressing K1-B0 with they/him pronouns. really wanted that nonbinary rep in this story :D hopefully the transition isn't too jarring!!
> 
> 2) established the courtroom a little more in this trial than in the previous. all podiums have countertops for the characters to place stuff on, as well as an attached screen for announcements and sharing evidence. this will be explained a little more in the chapter!!
> 
> alright, enjoy!! <3

_ Breathe in… Breathe out. _

_ Breathe in… Breathe out. _

_ Breathe in… _

Her inhale hitches in her throat, held captive in her lungs for what seemed like forever before being released almost painstakingly. 

Tenko was never the claustrophobic type, however the trips down in the elevator always managed to prove her wrong. The clunky whirring as the group slowly traveled further and further into the jaws of Monokuma’s trial grounds clawed at her skin and banged against her skull. Metal scraped against stone, like nails against a chalkboard, practically deafening her. The dead silence of her trembling classmates was rather sharply drowned out by the descending elevator. The only other sound she could hear was the booming noise of her heart pounding in her ears.

She dared not to look anywhere besides directly in front of her, at risk of accidentally making mutual eye contact with her peers. Even without looking, she could feel their eyes peering into the back of her head. She couldn’t say she was surprised. When she had spent the elevator ride with the anthropologist, she had glared daggers at him the whole way down. If looks could kill, she would have disintegrated his entire bloodline before he had even reached the trial grounds. 

Her peers were suspicious of her. It only made sense. She just wished they would speak up. She wished somebody would raise their voice and tell everybody that everything was going to be okay. That they would make it out of this alive, would bring justice to Gonta and Miu. She didn’t care if the sentiment wasn’t meant to include her, she just needed to hear it in somebody else’s words.

It seems that Kaito and Himiko were receiving the same punishment. She had overheard the Ultimate Astronaut arguing with the assassin, the ruby-eyed girl telling him he was an idiot for staying at the crime scene. That he should have went back into the Virtual World, that he should have fled. That if he had only stayed with her, then none of the blame would have fallen onto his shoulders. He had assured her everything would be okay, but Tenko could see his hunching figure. Could sense the nervous sweat running down his back. Presently he stood in the far back right corner, leaning fully against the right wall. His facade of coolness was barely convincing.

Himiko committing the murder was unlikely, but the residents inside the elevator were not ready to take that chance. She had only a few minutes alone, the fleeting moment when Tenko had run to find Kaito, when she could have possibly killed Gonta. It just felt unrealistic. However, the Cut-No-Cut scissors created an ugly trail that led directly back to her tiny footsteps. It was one minor detail that flipped the entire elevator against her. The mage was particularly bold, standing just left from the middle, however her classmates still managed to create a large gap around her. They stood away from her as if she had summoned a force field to circle her, as if they were magnets that didn’t attract and instead repelled. Tenko was the only one who dared to stand next to her, hovering awkwardly to her right.

Now that she thought about it, maybe her classmates were avoiding  _ her _ instead of the mage.

Being suspected for a murder was awful enough  _ one _ time. She had hated that trial, hated how helpless she was to defend herself against the allegations of murdering Angie. Being suspected twice in a row surely meant something, at least to her classmates.  _ She _ knows that she didn’t kill Miu. And as much as she preached about hating men, she would have  _ never _ murdered Gonta. The others do not know that.

Her hands fidget once more and unconsciously begin to scratch at the scar on her leg. As much as she tries to keep still, she couldn’t help but shuffle nervously in her spot, restless and jittery. She feels heavy stares running down her back, and now she feels even more self-conscious about moving. Everybody else in the room was frighteningly motionless.

Even Himiko, whose face was scrunched and eyebrows knotted, eyes wavering around the room as she pondered, remained relatively unmoving. She held her hands behind her back, swaying forwards and backwards. Tenko knows what she’s like when she’s scared, has watched her powerlessly tremble, gaze stuck to the floor, lower lip wobbling. This was not one of those times. She held an aura of certainty, a flickering determination.

Himiko knows she didn’t kill them, and that was enough to give her hope for this class trial. Tenko can only hope that the mage’s faith extended to her.

The rest of the elevator, deemed the least suspicious, all varied in terms of emotion. Maki’s serious expression did not falter, eyes just barely squinted at the front door. She chewed at her right thumb nail absentmindedly, and occasionally shot Kaito a glance, but other than that did not show much in terms of feelings. 

Kokichi was rather similar, but instead of a stony glare he smiled. It was hard to analyze such a complicated man, so Tenko praised herself when she noticed how the edges of his lips twitched. She couldn’t tell what that meant, of course, maybe his face was just tired, but it was still a change in normality. 

K1-B0 and Tsumugi were both particularly difficult to read. Usually, Tsumugi would be shaking, hands clasped and head down as if in silent prayer. K1-B0 usually held some sort of confidence, even if the robot didn’t necessarily feel that assured, head upwards as they silently calibrated all of the possible outcomes of the upcoming trial. Now they only blink. Their face is unreadable. The absence of Miu surely had influence over their current emotionless state.

Tsumugi is facing the opposite direction from the elevator door. Her eyes are closed and her hands cover her lips, mouth moving but no words escaping. Of course there was terror written all over her facial expression, but she was forcibly choking it down as she mutely spoke. She looked like she was rehearsing.

And Shuichi. Poor Shuichi. Tenko couldn’t help but spare him pity looks whenever they descended towards the trial grounds. The detective was always just barely shaking, eyes wide open, skin blanching and mouth dry. As the Ultimate Detective, his classmates expect him to solve everything, solve the crime instantly and without fail. It was too much pressure to put on one teenage boy, the responsibility of his classmate’s lives, the weight of the world on his shoulders. Tenko wouldn’t dare to speak to him. All of her encouragements were incredibly loud, brash like cymbals. It would only shake him even further. The least she could do was shoot him an encouraging smile, however weak, when they made brief eye contact.

There’s fear in his eyes. Sorrow. He didn’t want to do this again. 

She wouldn’t dare to tell him, but Tenko’s relying on him too. 

_ What would Kaede think?  _ Tenko finds herself wondering that quite often, but she couldn’t imagine how darkly that thought clouded Shuichi’s mind. He had made a promise to her, all of them had, however as they descended into the class trial it was clear they had broken it once more. It must haunt the boy. 

_ What would Kaede say about all this? _

The elevator clunks to a stop, wobbling the frightened inhabitants. There was always a moment of pause before the doors opened, a minute of pure silence as the residents stood restlessly. Tenko took that fleeting moment to breathe.

_ Breathe in… Breathe out. _

She looks over and it appears that Himiko was echoing her. Almost as if the mage had been reminded to breathe. The redhead was nodding as she inhaled deeply, as if whispering to herself  _ yes, you’re going to be okay, _ eyes closed. To set an example, Tenko keeps breathing, until the entire elevator was inhaling and exhaling in unison. They were going to be okay. They were going to get through this.

The door hisses open, and the trial grounds were upon them. 

They file out individually, marching in like soldiers. Their podium positions were already memorized, ingrained in their brains. Waiting for them, a powered-off screen attached directly to their stands. As the trial progressed, it would alert the individual behind the podium of certain events, such as when they were experiencing a debate scrum or when they were being accused. Most of the time, these alerts would be accompanied by a still image of herself, leaping in the air, hands prepared to strike. Tenko still wasn’t sure where they had got that photo of her, the one that stood staring back at her when it powered on. The imperfections in her face had been edited out, light makeup to hide her baggy eyes and acne, her crevices and creases. She didn’t remember taking that photo.

Himiko reaches her podium first, dismissing Tenko with a supportive pat to the back before stepping upwards. Her podium had been heightened, a few steps added so the 4’11 mage could reach the counter without it blocking her vision.

Kokichi runs forward and takes his own podium, skipping up the steps and rapping the counter like a drum. As Tenko passes to reach hers, which was positioned two down from Himiko and directly to the left of Kokichi, he flashes her a flamboyant bright smile and a wave. At this point, Tenko can’t muster any sort of ill-intended response, so she raises her hand as an assuring gesture. His face shifts for the slightest of moments, so slight that you would have missed it if you blinked. Good. Maybe it was  _ his _ turn to be confused. 

The Aikido Master finally reaches the podium. She doesn’t need any booster step, she’s tall enough that the counter falls at her arm-level. She cuts directly to the chase, removing her monopad and monofile from her person and placing them rather bluntly on her counter. The monopad gets pushed into the far right corner. The monofile remains in the center, close to her chest so she can easily access it. The voting screen is at the end of her podium, attached to the brim. 

She can see her reflection in the black screen. She’s tired. The girl in the reflection was nothing like that edited photo, where she stood proudly and without flaws. 

Tenko blinks in surprise as it turns on. “Court Preparation!” It says in bold. A loading screen. The Aikido Master watches as her classmates begin to assemble their podiums like work desks. Shuichi has been carefully scrolling through his monofile, memorizing the evidence, ready to back up or disprove any claim at the drop of a hat. Lying to him would be near impossible with how pointedly he was studying the files.

After one quick glance at the courtroom, she could see Gonta and Miu’s portraits have been put up already. Gonta had one simple red cross over his face while Miu had three smaller crosses. Tenko wasn’t sure why the inventor got three.

Monokuma clears his throat rather tiredly, and the screens flicker to a colorful animation. It plays every time the bear describes the trial rules, “Ahem! Now then, let’s begin with a basic explanation…” After a moment of pause, he adds, “...Eh, screw it. This is tiresome.”

“You need more motivation!” Monophanie sings.

“I do… I really, really do. Now then, let’s start this class trial.”

The bear nearly collapses into his chair. The monochrome teddy is considerably less vibrant this class trial, instead weary and down-hearted. He acted as if performing this class trial was the most bothersome and exhausting thing he’s ever done.

_ Imagine how tired WE are of it.  _ Tenko thinks,  _ Imagine how tired WE are. _

_ ‘Class Trial, Start! _ ’ The screen says. There’s a collective inhale from the group, a held breath as they ponder what they should begin with. Tenko never starts the debates. She’s not decisive enough to pick a place to begin.

Shuichi glances around and notices everybody staring at him, waiting for him to make the first move, “A-Alright, I think we should-”

“Shuichi, darling, would you mind if I asked Monokuma just a tiny question before we began?” Tenko looks over at the source of the voice, Kokichi, who was standing on his toes and rapping his fingers against his podium. The detective gives him a look and shrugs in agreement, “Since there’s not a lot of us left… What happens if the votes result in  **two first places?** ”

“Huh? You mean like… a tie?” Monokuma asks, to which Kokichi nods, “It means they’re both the blackened. As long as one of ‘em is correct, it’s fine.”

“D-Does that mean they’ll  _ both _ be executed!? Even if only  _ one _ of them is actually guilty!?” Tenko gapes in horror.

“Yeah, yeah, I guess. Better make your votes count…”

Kokichi hums a high note, “Alrighty! One more thing: If the person who murdered Miu was… Hm, how do I say this….  **incapacitated** , would they still be considered the  **blackened of the trial?** ”

The class erupts into shocked mutters, confused accusations rushing in Kokichi’s direction, all desperate to understand what he implied by ‘incapacitated’. Was he planning on doing something himself? Was he planning on killing somebody  _ during _ the trial? 

The supreme leader’s focus is not on them, however, it drills solely into Monokuma’s glowering red eye. The bear has suddenly turned frighteningly silent, body completely still and unmoving as he stared at the purple boy. His blank, unwavering glare remained locked with Kokichi, who in return bears his signature waggish grin. It’s a silent staredown between them as the rest of the courtroom yelled into deaf ears. Demanding to know what he meant. For any sort of explanation.

“... Cat got your tongue? Alright.” Kokichi is the first to break. It’s clear he will not be receiving an answer from Monokuma, and will not be  _ giving _ an answer to his classmates, “Maestro! You may continue!”

The ‘Maestro’, Shuichi, returns with, “Huh-  _ What did that mean?” _

“Don’t worry about it, Shuichi-Boy! Just curious, is all. Now that’s answered, I can start enjoying this life-or-death game now!”

“What game!? How long are you gonna keep saying that!?” Kaito spits. His fist is raised, shaking at the supreme leader.

Himiko sighs, shaking her head as she scrolls mindfully through her monofile. The same determination Tenko saw in the elevator is persistent through her next few sentences, “Just ignore Kokichi. The rest of us need to work together to find the truth. Got it!? We can’t die here!”

Tenko slightly pumps her fist into the air, muttering an enthusiastic ‘yeah!’ under her breath. The blue and red pair share a rather dorky glance. 

“Oh my! Himiko has become so determined!” Monophanie congratulates, clapping her two paws together, “It’s true, people really  _ do _ change!”

“...But now she’s lost what’s made her so unique.” Monokuma says.

The Ultimate Mage ruffles, nose twitching, “That’s  _ none _ of your business!”

The general chatter dies down, now replaced with a majority consensus that this class trial needs to start moving or they would ultimately get nowhere. It always started like this, didn’t it? A few moments of antics, usually spurred on by Kokichi or the Monocubs just adding fuel to the flame. It’s K1-B0 this time who decides to get the ball rolling, silencing the courtroom with a hearty, robotic cough. The cough was pre-recorded, and sounded like it came from a burly, forty-year-old man. 

“...We should get this class trial going.” They begin, adjusting themselves to appear taller, “First, we need to clarify--”

“ _ Kaito’s the culprit!” _ Kokichi yells.

“I am  _ not!!  _ Say that to my  _ face!!” _ Kaito replies childishly.

The Ultimate Supreme Leader leans forward on his podium, still on his toes, “ _ Kaito _ is the  _ culprit!” _

And they’ve started again. Kokichi is off on some claim that Kaito is the killer solely based on the fact that he logged out at an incredibly suspicious time. It’s not a completely far-fetched assumption, and it at least began the discussion of who could have killed  _ Miu _ to begin with. Kokichi’s honest and rather blunt accusation was just what the class needed to start on the Ultimate Inventor’s case. Since she was found first, it was only reasonable that they began with her. In accordance with the previous trial, the only killer that was considered the blackened is the one who murdered the first discovered corpse. 

That made Tenko feel just a little better. Maybe they wouldn’t end up discussing Gonta, after all. As awful as that sounded, the Aikido Master would much rather prefer never talking about his corpse again than having to fight for her life, and the lives of all those around her, based on a pair of scissors. Defending herself would prove difficult, considering she was facing some pretty solid offense. 

Kaito and Kokichi’s podiums both glow a menacing red, moving forward as the pair oppose each other.

“Kaito logged out first, by himself. Miu was still logged in, though. That’s when he must have killed her!” Kokichi illustrates. 

Kaito regains his balance after being temporarily thrown off by the moving podium, “That’s impossible! I’m telling you, I didn’t do it! I mean, we found that bottle of poison by  _ Gonta’s _ feet, right?”

“Wh-What are you implying?” Tsumugi demands from the outer circle, “That  _ Gonta _ murdered Miu!?”

“No! No, I didn’t-”

“That diversion was part of your plan, wasn’t it Kaito?” The supreme leader asks. Kaito pounds his palm against his countertop in fury. 

“Well, Kaito? Any last words?” Himiko says.

“Wh-What do you _ mean, ‘last words’!?” _

“Wait a minute, Kokichi,” Shuichi interrupts, backpedaling towards a previous statement made by the Ultimate Supreme Leader. The detective’s podium moves forward, and now suddenly he’s in the inner circle, “We still haven’t determined that Miu’s method of death was by poisoning.”

“Well, the monofile  _ does _ say there are no external wounds, riiiight?” The purple boy reminds him. His fingers continue to drum against his own tablet. He’s playing a rhythm, almost. It’s incredibly distracting for the attention deficient Aikido Master, “That pretty heavily implies she was poisoned!”

“Still, if we consider what Kaito said-” He swipes upwards on his monofile and sends the evidence to everybody’s individual podium screens. It’s a transcript of Kaito’s account, explaining what had happened when Miu was murdered, “It’s possible that Miu was killed from  _ inside _ the Virtual World.” 

Kaito exhales slightly out of relief, and then immediately looks down, as if waiting for his podium to move back from the inner circle. It does not budge.

“And you’re just going to believe him?” The supreme leader argues, stance tall and rather confident, “You guys are taking so long to realize that people could kill others in a snap.”

Maybe Tenko did realize that, partly. She came into the killing game, incredibly aware that men could kill others instantly and without regret. As time went on, and the first two blackened turned out to be not men but  _ women _ , girls that she trusted, that mentality began to fall apart. It melded and warped; First it was that only men could kill, then it was men  _ will  _ kill, then it was  _ certain _ women could kill as well as every man, and then  _ everybody _ had the capability to kill, and finally everybody  _ wants _ to kill  _ Tenko specifically _ . That last one was founded after the seance and has been fairly difficult to get rid of.

“...You were the one who told us about the warnings on the label,” Shuichi was talking and Tenko just managed to catch his last few sentences after spacing out, “If you remembered what was on that label, then you’ll see your argument is flawed.”

“Yeah, you’re right…” Kokichi takes a moment to pause, before immediately shifting back to his giddy expression, “Okie dokie! Then the culprit is Tenko!”

The Aikido Master sputters, fully expecting to move forward into the inner circle, “Why-  _ You little- _ ” to her relative surprise, her podium remains still, “You’re  _ lucky _ this podium didn’t move forward, or I would have thwacked you on the head!”

“I told you this would happen, didn’t I?” He replies, turning behind him so that they make eye contact, “You  _ were _ the one who suggested sitting out, yeah?”

She couldn’t deny that. He  _ had _ warned her before the remainder of the group entered the Virtual World that if she was the only one not in the simulator she would be seen as incredibly guilty. There must have been a reason why she wasn’t advancing, why her podium remained in the outer circle. The Ultimate Detective must not be focusing on her as a culprit. 

“Well, if we’re discussing Miu, I don’t think somebody _outside_ of the Virtual World could have killed her. Especially not with poison,” Shuichi swipes up on his monofile again, and evidence floods onto Tenko’s screen. It’s an image of the label on the back of the poison bottle, quickly summarized in a block of text next to it, “Drinking the poison would result in subconjunctival hemorrhaging. In other words, your eyes would be bloodshot.”

“Oh, but Miu’s body…” Tsumugi mutters, trailing off.

They all remember the body. They remember the desperate, panic-stricken expression that the former Ultimate Inventor had been eternally frozen with. How her hands clawed desperately at her neck, scratching and fighting to survive, slashing at an invisible assailant. Her eyes haunted Tenko, the life having been drained from them completely, staring outwards into a void. They were glassy, tears having fallen and left streaks in her foundation. They weren’t bloodshot. Tenko would have been able to remember them being bloodshot. 

“That’s right, her eyes weren’t bloodshot! So she couldn’t have been poisoned!” The Ultimate Cosplayer finishes. Tenko nods in agreement, and Kokichi turns back around from his previous position of looking at Tenko. He’s drumming his fingers again. 

“Hm… Well maybe it didn’t kill  _ Miu, _ ” He says, “But it could have very well killed Gonta.  _ His _ eyes were pretty bloodshot…”

Shuichi nods, “That could be a possibility. But for now, we should focus on Miu. She was the first corpse discovered-”

“What if that’s  _ also _ a lie?” There’s a disgruntled sigh from the court as Kokichi bounces on his toes, “Who’s to say that those three aren’t  _ hiding  _ something?”

Shuichi takes a long, brooding pause. He’s staring at Kokichi with a look that can only be described as ‘not mad, but disappointed’. Kaito, whose podium resides just near enough that it felt as if he was intruding in this silent conversation, pulled a rather uncomfortable-looking face. He continued to look backwards, hoping that he would be removed from the inner circle.

“... Is this  _ fun _ for you, messing with the trial?” The detective asks. It’s a rather genuine question, filled with authentic curiosity.

“Hm?” Noticing that there isn’t a specific person being accused at the moment, the podiums begin to slowly recede back to their previous positions. Kokichi keeps his glare on the detective, “Well, I mean, this is where it gets fun for both me  _ and _ the culprit.”

As the podiums begin to assemble back into the one full circle, Tenko reaches out her hand behind the unaware supreme leader. Before she is able to reach him, Maki shoots her a low glare, causing the Aikido Master to quickly recoil her arm. She’ll have to thwack him later.

“So, if it wasn’t poison… Then what killed Miu?” Himiko asks. 

The class reaches for their monofiles, collectively silencing as they examine every possibility. Tenko’s eyes reach a certain piece of evidence, and she mutters an almost inaudible, “Um… The hammer?”

“Which hammer?” Maki questions.

“Uh-” The Aikido Master flicks the file onto her screen. It’s a hammer they found in the Virtual World, one that she personally has never seen before. At this point she’s flinging evidence at them and hoping it sticks, “I don’t know where it came from but it looks very murdery!!!”

Shuichi inspects it, head tilting to the right as an almost shrug, “I think you’re heading in the right direction. That hammer was a weapon from the Killing Game Simulator. In the simulator, if your avatar takes fatal damage, your real body dies of shock. That was made clear in the program’s text file,” The file slips onto the podium’s screen, “In that case, it’s fair to say that the cause of death was actually the simulator. The hammer might as well have been used to strike Miu during the Virtual World.”

“Yes, I believe it is vital that we discuss further what caused her to incur fatal damage within the Virtual World.” K1-B0 advises. 

“So her cause of death in the Virtual World is the one that matters,” Kaito nods. Tenko raises an eyebrow, a little lost, if she is going to be honest. 

She didn’t think it was that massive of a gesture, however Tsumugi notices it and starts her own explanation. Running a hand through her blue hair, she starts with, “Umm… So we split into two groups to find the secret of the outside world.”

“The ones who searched the mansion were me, Shuichi, Tsumugi, Gonta and that NPC Kaito!” Kokichi elaborates.

“Ey!” Kaito barks, “Who you callin’ NPC, you A-S-S!?”

“-And the others who searched the chapel were Kee-boy, Maki, and Miu.”

In the eight or so hours that the rest of her class had been asleep in the Virtual World, they had managed to completely search the entirety of the simulation in two randomly selected teams. If her math was correct, then Gonta had been killed in the same place that Shuichi, Tsumugi, and Kaito had investigated. If there was even the slimmest chance that the entomologist was murdered in the Killing Game Simulator, it would have most likely been those three, right?

Maybe it was slightly delusional to say that Gonta was murdered inside of the Virtual World. She had seen the body ( _at that point there was no way it would ever leave her mind, permanently burned into her brain)_ , and there was clearly blood. There was clearly an external wound. The scissors were real, the large, gushing gash across his neck was real. However much she wanted to push it away, suspicion was going to inexorably fall onto the people _not_ _in_ the simulator at the time. That meant Tenko, and that meant Himiko.

The class begins debating, throwing out theories of what could have possibly occurred. Out of the wave of noise, Tenko was able to pick up Kokichi hypothesizing that Gonta ‘Beat her to death with his bare fists’, Himiko agreeing that it ‘has to be the hammer’ because it was dropped next to her avatar, and K1-B0 stating that she was ‘pushed from a great height’. Tenko threw out some thoughtless theory, something about her being thrown against a wall.

“Are we certain that blunt force was involved?” Maki asks, “I think strangulation is more likely.”

Shuichi nods, “I agree with Maki. Miu’s body showed severe trauma and signs of a struggle.”

_ Don’t remind me, _ Tenko thinks sourly. Her body was hard enough to look at while investigating, and she didn’t need another reminder.

“The Virtual World is connected to our five senses. If her body experienced pain, she must have been in pain in the Virtual World as well. Knowing that, I believe Maki is correct. Miu was strangled to death.”

_ It wasn’t a fast death, either. _ The Aikido Master grimaces. She should have at least been given a painless death, one without suffering. 

“In that case, her exact cause of death is being strangled in the Virtual World.” Tsumugi summarizes.

K1-B0 hums, their face hardened in thought, “But is strangulation even possible in the Virtual World? If the avatars were equally strong, it would be difficult to strangle a resisting victim.”

“Yeah, if she was just as strong as them, no way they coulda strangled her.” The Ultimate Astronaut scratched at his gelled purple hair.

“Then the culprit would need a tool. There are tons of cases where a weaker person would strangle a stronger person with a rope,” The Ultimate Assassin speaks with frightening wisdom. It’s clear that she was experienced in this field, glaringly obvious that Maki has killed before.

“Wow! You know a lot about killing!” Kokichi leans forward, “ _ Nerd!” _

Maki shoots back a glare so deadly it might as well have just shot the supreme leader lifeless where he stood. For a moment Tenko reflects on the assassin, of her rather dark and inexplicable appearance. How she intentionally portrayed herself as cold and harsh to others. She also thought about Kaito, about their ever-growing relationship, how the pair were almost polar opposites. Maki, an intelligent, strong, powerful young woman with a steely determination and a rather analytical and insightful perspective of the world. And Kaito, an astronaut. Polar opposites.

“But was there even a rope in that world?” Kaito asks.

They had gone back into the Virtual World, hadn’t they? During the investigation, certain members of the class had willingly gone back into the simulator in order to search for more clues and evidence. Tenko had backed out. 

She shouldn’t have been such a wimp. Shouldn’t have let the Virtual World scare her. Maybe, if she had gone in with the group, they wouldn’t have gotten into this situation. Wouldn’t have to sit through this trial now. Maybe Miu and Gonta would still be here. Maybe-

“Hey, y’all. I gotta make a little confession.” Kokichi slurs. 

The room silences until all the courtroom could hear was the tapping of his fingers against his counter. At this point Tenko had it memorized.

_ taaap tap tap tap. tap tap taaap… tap tap. tap tap tap… taaap taaap. taaap taaap. _

Shuichi releases an exasperated sigh, “...Yes, Kokichi? What is it?”

At this point the entire class is sick and tired of the Ultimate Supreme Leader taking the blame for the murders. He threw around blame as if this entire thing was a game to him. Tenko is worried that he genuinely thinks it  _ was  _ some sort of entertainment. He mentions it being a ‘game’ every five seconds.

“This better not be you admitting you’re the culprit again…” Tenko warns. Kokichi giggles to himself, as if he had just told the funniest joke but nobody else was allowed to hear it.

“Of course not, silly! I would  _ never!” _ The previous three trials proved otherwise, “In fact, I’ll tell you who the culprit is right now!”

Tsumugi grunts, clearing her throat, as if she had suddenly choked on her own spit, “You...know who it is?”

_ tap tap tap tap. tap. tap taaap tap.  _

“Yup!” 

With one final look around the room, Kokichi smiles. He’s reveling in everybody’s leaned in body posture, the way the entire class has given him the attention that he craves. Tenko greatly loathed thinking that he was enjoying this, because as much as she hated the little man she hated the idea of somebody being  _ amused _ by this situation even more. Surely this all must be an act. It was through the tiniest of gestures-- his lips twitching downwards, his face turning pale, his hands clenching perhaps just the slightest bit tighter-- that the Aikido Master was able to tell. If you were to squint, you would be able to find sympathetic qualities. Something redeemable in the Ultimate Supreme Leader.

But sometimes he was just truly unexplainable.

Sometimes, Kokichi truly was all he made himself out to be. A villain.

“I think this might mess things up a little for our culprit, so I’ll just come out and say it now!” He presents boldly, arms wide and extravagant, “The one who killed Miu was none other than  _ Gonta Gokuhara! _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tap taaap taap. tap tap tap tap. tap. taaap tap... taaap taap tap. tap tap. tap tap tap taaap. tap. taaap tap... taaap. tap tap tap tap. tap... taaap tap taaap tap. tap tap tap tap. taaap taaap taap. tap tap. taaap tap taaap tap. tap. taaap taaap tap tap taaap taaap.... taaap tap taaap tap. tap tap tap tap. taaap taaap taaap. taaap taaap taaap. tap tap tap. tap... taaap taaap tap. taaap taaap taaap. taaap tap. taaap. tap taaap.


	18. i don't tolerate lies from anyone.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where are we? whats going on?

Tenko needs to stop using the word ‘impossible’, because clearly anything was possible in this killing game. 

The more Kokichi explained it-- the unbreakable toilet paper, the setting on his avatar that rendered him defenseless, him working together with Monokuma to plant a motive-- it just seemed more and more likely. She was fully expecting to hear some baseless claim, some callous accusation that further slandered an already deceased man. But after a full rundown of his murder, after explaining his rebuttal to the Ultimate Inventor’s plan to kill him, it just made…  _ sense _ . Something clicked in the back of Tenko's mind, a quiet, solemn voice telling her, “ _ he’s telling the truth this time”. _ It felt wrong, made her feel like the world was spinning, but she believed him. She believes Kokichi.

She was probably the only one, though. The others were completely baffled, mouths hanging open as they desperately tried to defend somebody who was no longer there. They could not--  _ would not _ accept that such a loveable, generous man as Gonta had committed this crime. Maki was shaking her head, eyes narrowed as she attempted to comprehend it. Kaito was yelling, most of it general cusses, and K1-B0 was trying to reason with him despite being drowned out by the sea of voices. Himiko was also shouting, mainly trying to converse with Tenko over the chaos, trying to figure out how such a sweetheart could  _ possibly _ kill someone in cold blood. 

It was not often that Tsumugi yelled, in fact incredibly rarely, but the Ultimate Cosplayer was now screaming at Kokichi, degrading him for accusing the entomologist, shrieking how he was their friend, that he would  _ never _ do that. The purple-eyed boy disregards it, smile hollow. It’s quite incredible how little he was emoting to all of his classmates. If Tenko was in that position she would have for sure burst into tears.

“It couldn’t have been Gonta!! He was a  _ gentleman!! _ ” Tsumugi cries, “Tell him, Shuichi!!”

The Ultimate Detective had stopped talking a while ago. Sudden information had just been thrown in his direction, the case solved almost miraculously quickly, and he was still trying to process it all. In response to Tsumugi, he only releases a disgruntled noise from the back of his throat. He’s flicking at his monofile dangerously fast, connecting the evidence in his brain.

“Why are you booing me? I’m RIGHT!! _ ” _ Kokichi finally yells back at the horrified crowd, who in return continue to belittle him. 

Shuichi finally places his monofile on the table. After a long, deep read of the collective evidence-- _ he probably read that thing three times over just to be sure everything was right _ \-- he finally reached a conclusion. The courtroom instantly silences as the detective’s podium slides forward to greet the ultimate supreme leader in the center circle. The two share a glance, one last silent question from Shuichi if the purple boy truly was being honest. Tenko just barely manages to catch a subtle nod from Kokichi.

“He’s right.” Shuichi concludes firmly, “It can only be Gonta.”

The courtroom is back at it again, gasping and yelling in shock and horror. Tsumugi looks like she’s about to start crying, and Tenko feels her stomach knot at the sight of the cosplayer throwing her face into her hands. The truth bit her hard. 

“Don’t listen to him, Shuichi!” Kaito refutes, “He’s trying to sacrifice Gonta to escape from his crime!”

Himiko’s nostrils flare at the purple degenerate, “Nyeeeeh!! You’re a terrible person!! How  _ dare _ you use Gonta like that!!”

Kokichi deflates, wilting in his podium, “You’re right… I’m soooorry…. I did something horrible to Gonta…” For a moment the class exhales, slightly relieved that Gonta was not in fact the murderer, before, “I didn’t want Shuichi to hog all the glory, so I told everybody the  _ truth _ !”

“ _ Cut that out! _ I told you it’s not going to work!!” Kaito barks. 

“Don’t you think I could’ve pulled the strings and made Gonta carry out my commands?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s possible or not...cuz  _ I _ say it’s just  _ impossible _ !” 

Shuichi’s eyes furrow, clearly still processing this information, “We can’t keep going back and forth like this. We need to discuss this.”

The Ultimate Supreme Leader bounces. He knows he’s correct, and he knows he’s got the detective on his side. With a rather cocky smirk, he turns back to Kaito, who was grumbling where he stood, “Too bad, Kaito! Looks like  _ Shuichi  _ agrees with me.”

Tenko agrees with him too, but she doesn’t dare to admit it out loud. The majority of the class was in great denial, harping mercilessly on those who accuse Gonta of committing something so heinous. She knew he was a good dude overall, but she also knew that he was sickeningly naive. It would come as no surprise to her if somebody had managed to manipulate him into committing a murder, and would come as even lesser of a shock if that manipulator was Kokichi. Tenko remembers the “Insect Meet and Greet”. She remembers when Kokichi had convinced Gonta that she hated bugs, causing the burly man to throw her over his shoulder and drag her into his Ultimate Research Lab. She had kicked and screamed the whole way there, heart pounding in her ears, fearing for her life, but still he did not put her down. Ever since then, she’s held a certain distrust towards him, aware of how easy it is to make him do things.

So, to put it in other words, she didn’t agree that  _ Gonta _ killed Miu, but she agreed that Kokichi  _ tricked _ him into killing Miu. That’s what the others needed to realize. Maybe it was her “all boys are evil” mentality which had been burned into her brain that made her believe Kokichi so easily, or maybe it was her coming to terms with the fact that she needed to use logic instead of emotion during these trials.  _ Or _ maybe it was the fact that Kaito was being rather insufferable currently and she would agree with anybody just to oppose him. 

“Which means-- Shuichi! You’ll be my partner, right!?” Kokichi requests, “Because if we don’t face the truth, we’ll all die, right?” His face darkens, grin reaching farther upwards, “And you don’t want that,  _ do you?" _

_ Obviously _ .

The class mutter their disagreements, but otherwise don’t speak up much. If the Ultimate Detective was sure about it, then it would be hard to prove him otherwise. Shuichi bases his arguments on cold hard facts and logic, not emotion. Or, rather, his arguments are much more logical in comparison to the anger-ridden remarks of his peers.

“Quit screwing around!” At this point it’s too hard to distinguish whether or not Kaito’s statement was targeted at Kokichi or Shuichi, “I’m tired putting up with your selfish  _ bullshit _ !!”

“Kaito, we should listen to their explanation. Our lives depend on it.” K1-B0 reasons. Tenko applauds their patience, because she was about to call the astronaut a little brat. 

“Well… it makes more sense if you use process of elimination.” Shuichi’s eyes look remorseful, as if this pained him to explain, “We can take K1-B0 and Maki off of the suspect list because the bridge from the chapel to the mansion was gone, and only Miu could pass through the wall. This means they couldn’t access the crime scene.”

Maki and K1-B0 can do nothing but nod. From Tenko’s recollection, they were the group that investigated the chapel in the Virtual World, which separated them from the murder. There was no way to get to the rooftop, the location of the killing.

“Kaito, Himiko, and Tenko couldn’t have done it, either. Miu’s murder happened at 6:30am, and Kaito got logged out a 5:17am. Tenko and Himiko never went into the Virtual World in the first place. And since we figured out that the murder happened  _ inside _ of the Virtual World, it would have been impossible for them to have done it.”

The Ultimate Astronaut snarls, turning frustratingly silent. The more people Shuichi justified, the more his classmates slowly began to realize that perhaps it  _ was _ Gonta.

“Tsumugi and I can be crossed off, because we’re both witnesses to each other’s alibis. We saw each other during the time Miu was being murdered.”

Accepting defeat, the cosplayer continues to bury herself further into her arms, shamefully hiding her tearful face. She’s in shock, completely appalled that somebody she trusted so wholeheartedly could have strangled Miu. She’s horrified. 

Kokichi ignores his classmate’s growing despair, “That leaves only Gonta and me as the remaining suspects…”

“Then  _ you’re  _ the culprit!” Kaito roars. It’s pointless for him to try, at this point.

“Sorry for getting your hopes up, but didn’t I already explain that’s impossible?”

Shuichi pulls up his final piece of damning evidence. It appears on Tenko’s screen: the setting on Kokichi’s avatar that rendered him motionless.

“If Miu touched him, he’d freeze in place. Kokichi wasn’t capable of strangling her.” He says.

All she’d need to do was reach out and pat him on the back for him to instantly become an easy target. Tenko imagined how terrifying that must be. Having to stand and wait restlessly as your assailant drew nearer, unable to move.

The sympathy is gone almost as instantly as it arrives once Kokichi says, “So then, it’s down to one person. Aaaand… who was that again?”

“Don’t answer, Shuichi! You don’t need to answer that!” It’s one last attempt to reclaim Gonta’s innocence, Kaito telling the detective not to speak his guilt into existence. The raven-haired boy does not need to say out loud that it’s the entomologist, everybody in the courtroom knows it now, anyways, “This is all Kokichi’s trap!”

The detective grimaces, and releases a measured statement, “It….It has to be Gonta.”

Silence falls upon them once more, the kind so stifling that if somebody didn’t begin talking soon Tenko will begin picking at her scar again. The court is shocked. It’s clear nobody knows where to proceed from here. Gonta, the same Gonta which they had just found dead, neck sliced open for all of them to see, was now the main suspect in a murder case. It was hard to believe, nobody  _ wanted _ to believe it, however it was the only option that made perfect sense. 

“...What now?” Maki is the first to speak up, asking the question on everybody’s minds, “Is… Gonta the blackened?”

_ tap tap tap taaap. taaap taaap taaap. taaap. tap. _

Tenko cringes at the disorganized knocks against the podium. Kokichi continues to play his invisible drum, banging to the tune of the most out of beat song in the history of mankind. It’s getting faster now, playing in more frequent intervals. The further the trial progressed the more rapid his knocking gets. His own make-believe orchestra was reaching its peak, volume rising in a slow crescendo. 

“Well, I  _ tried _ asking Monokuma about it, but he got all mad at me…..” Kokichi replies, lower lip pouting with crocodile tears. Monokuma is silent. For the first time in probably _ ever, _ the Aikido Master wishes he would start talking.

Tsumugi, looking up from her arms for the first time in a while, hiccups and sniffles with a hissed remark of, “This can’t be right…. You plainly can’t push the blame onto somebody just because they’re  _ dead!  _ Imagine if he was  _ here!  _ What would he say about all of this!?”

Tenko did not want to think about that. She did not want to imagine watching Gonta being drained of all his child-like joy and spirit, standing helpless behind his podium as he was accused by the people he considered friends. Who considered  _ him  _ their friends. 

“I know it’s hard, but Shuichi is right! Nobody else could have done this...” The Aikido Master tries explaining it as gently as she possibly could, worried sick of upsetting the cosplayer further, “I understand that you-”

“ _ No, you don’t. _ ” Her blunt response causes the courtroom to flinch, “Wh-What if Shuichi told you that  _ Himiko _ committed a murder!? Would you accuse  _ her!? _ ”

“Actually, we still aren’t sure who murdered Gonta…” Kokichi jokes rather facetiously, “So, who knows? Maybe we’ll be able to play out this metaphorical situation for realsies!” 

“Shut it, degenerate! The blackened is Gonta, so let’s just vote already!” Tenko was willing to be patient up until Himiko was dragged into the conversation, and now she wanted nothing more than this trial to end as quickly as possible. She was quite alright with this fourth trial being named the fastest class trial throughout the entirety of the killing game if she never has to speak of Gonta’s corpse again. The Ultimate Entomologist was the blackened according to the trial rules. Even she was able to grasp that.

Kokichi shrugs, and for the first time possibly ever he agrees with her, “You heard the woman! Let’s start-”

“Now, just hold on a second!” Kaito interrupts, which is met with an eye roll from the Aikido Master, “E-Even if the culprit  _ is  _ Gonta-- which I’m not saying it is-- … isn’t he…. Y’know…  _ dead?” _

_ tap tap tap taaap. taaap taaap taaap. taaap. tap, _ Kokichi raps against his counter, underlying his remarks of, “Really? Gonta’s dead? I hadn’t noticed.”

The Ultimate Astronaut scoffs at him, high on his moral pedestal, “Stop fucking around!! I’m talking about whether or not he's the blackened!!”

The bluenette cosplayer huffs, “I’m telling you, he’s  _ not _ the-”

The Ultimate Supreme Leader quickly slices through Tsumugi’s emotional argument with a gruff, “Don’t be such a  _ nincompoop-! _ ”

“Hey!! Now that’s just…  _ bullying!!”  _ Himiko snarls. It’s clear that it’s struck a chord with the mage. Tenko remembers their conversation back in the dining hall, how upset the redhead had become when she confided in the brunette about her school’s so-called “mean girls”. She could see the same rage now as she defended the cosplayer, nose twitching once more and eyes hardening.

“Bullying?” Kokichi snorts, “Yeah, so what? That’s what you do in this game, right? You guys  _ blame _ and  _ gang up  _ on me, but now you claim to be good people?”

The mage wilts, regret instantly washing over her, “N-No, I would  _ never-” _

_ tap tap tap. taaap. taap taaap taaap. tap taaap taaap tap. _

Tenko flinches as the sound begins once more. It bounces in the back of her skull, trumpets in through her ears and practically deafens her. People are talking but they are no match to the overwhelming noise of Kokichi’s impromptu drum solo against his podium. Does nobody else notice this? Is everybody else in the courtroom capable of maintaining a rather sophisticated and focused conversation without being distracted by this annoying, repetitive sound? Surely somebody else was able to hear this, right? It’s not just her going insane, right?

“Well, Kokichi… does have a point,” Shuichi agrees, “Monokuma is being silent for a reason. It’s possible we’ve found a loophole.”

_ taaap taaap tap. taaap taaap taaap. taaap taaap taaap. taaap tap tap… taaap t- _

Tenko abruptly leans over in her podium, glaring at Kokichi with a low hiss of, “Will you  _ stop that!?” _

He stops, but still feigns innocence, “What do you mean?”

“The- The  _ tapping _ ! I can’t concentrate.”

“Whoops! My bad.”

The Aikido Master exhales dramatically, relieved that the drum solo had finally reached its conclusion. Now she was able to focus a little more. Tsumugi was still crying, but her teeth were gritted and her fists clenched at her sides. Himiko had recoiled from Kokichi’s last comment-- it seems being accused of acting like the very thing that made her life a living hell got to her-- and slumps backwards in her podium. Kaito and Kokichi are arguing, both incredibly adamant towards their own side. 

It was silently decided within the group that Gonta was in fact the culprit. Now, it was a question of whether or not they continued debating. 

Kokichi seemed rather unwavering in his decision that they should immediately vote the Ultimate Entomologist as the blackened, and shockingly  _ Shuichi _ seemed to agree to a certain extent. The detective seemed to be battling between searching more, however for some odd reason he keeps nodding his head whenever Kokichi tells everybody to vote.

“I-I think we need to discuss this more… The blackened could be the one who killed Gonta!!” Tsumugi argues. Shuichi is oddly silent about the manner.

“What did I tell you?” Kokichi repeats. His podium resides in the center, the glaring eyes of his classmates still on him, “There are rules in place for a  _ reason, _ Tsu! ‘Only the murderer whose victim was found first will become the blackened’, it says it right here in the monopad! Rule fifteen!”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Kaito sighs and flashes Shuichi a disappointed look, “I’m not sure what’s up with you, Shuichi, but we gotta keep searching. Once we find out the truth, we’ll be able to make a decision!”

“If we rush to a conclusion, it may be at the cost of our lives,” K1-B0 nods.

Himiko flashes Tenko a heavy glance, one that just screams ‘ _ we’re in deep trouble now’ _ . It’s time. Deep down they both knew discussing Gonta’s death was unavoidable, inexorable. They were ready. They could do this, for sure. Even if the only people outside of Virtual World at the time were herself, Himiko, and Kaito. Even if the possibility of the astronaut killing Gonta seemed relatively slim considering how she was punching him during his murder. Even if the back of her head was creepily telling her that maybe, just  _ maybe,  _ it was the Ultimate Ma-

**tap taaap taaap tap. tap taaap tap tap. tap taaap. taaap tap… tap tap taaap tap. tap taaap. tap tap. tap taaap tap tap. tap. taaap tap tap.**

Tenko’s head whips itself in the direction of the Ultimate Supreme Leader, ready to yell at him for resuming his tap routine after she had silenced him before. She was ready to shout at him over the restlessness of the courtroom, over the sea of noise which masked the sound of his tapping so that you could only hear it if you paid close attention. Or if you were somebody who could only pay attention to one thing at a time (Tenko). 

As she opened her mouth, she realized that it was not in fact Kokichi who was rapping against his podium. In fact he stood, signature creepy grin still frozen in place, watching intently as the trial moved slowly forward without him. His gaze held a certain unfocus to it, almost as if he wasn’t listening to his classmates.

_ Almost as if he was paying attention to something else... _

She examines the busy courtroom, searching for moving hands, jittering fingers, anybody who could be making that tapping noise. She stares daggers at Kaito’s unmoving hands, glared solemnly at Tsumugi’s planted feet, until finally she reaches the other side of the courtroom.

It was Shuichi. Shuichi was knocking.

**tap taaap taaap. tap tap tap tap. tap taaap. taaap…. taaap tap. taaap taaap taaap. tap taaaap taaap. tap tap taaap taaap tap tap.**

It’s that same disorganized, rhythmless pattern.

_ tap tap tap. taaap. tap taaap. tap taaap tap tap. tap taaap tap tap.  _ Kokichi replies. They’re having their own private conversation, and Tenko had somehow found herself in the middle of it. To her it only consisted of jumbled beats, however to them their tapping seemed to make perfect sense. 

Why was  _ Shuichi _ of all people working alongside somebody like  _ Kokichi _ ? It was a jarring question, one that Tenko quite frankly did not have the answer to. The otherwise trustworthy Ultimate Detective working alongside the pathological liar, the boy who had  _ just confessed _ to working with Monokuma and manipulating Gonta into murdering Miu. Maybe Shuichi was being manipulated as well. If that was the case, then she needed to say something to snap him out of it. A quick smack across the head should do it.

“Okay… let’s start with the murder weapon.” Shuichi drawls, sentences now much longer, “The murder weapon… that killed Gonta.”

“Right.” Maki agrees, flicking evidence onto the screen, “The cause of death was obscured in the monofiles. I believe he was poisoned and stabbed across the throat, however the poison was what initially killed him.”

“Um… how can we be sure… it was poison?”

The Ultimate Assassin looks over at Shuichi as if he was the dumbest person in the world. All eyes are on him now. Even Kaito, who didn’t know what was happening most of the time, was now raising his eyebrows at him.

“...What the hell is up with you?” Maki deadpans, “Why are you acting like a complete idiot all of the sudden?”

“I-I mean, it’s a good question…” Tsumugi shrugs, using her jacket cuffs to wipe stray streaks of tears, “How do we know for sure?”

“I thought we went over this. The poison has side effects which includes giving its victims bloodshot eyes. Gonta’s eyes were bloodshot. Gonta. Drink. Poison.”

“But if he was already poisoned, then what was the point of stabbing him?” Tenko asks. That seemed rather cruel. The poison was guaranteed to kill even if a tiny amount had been consumed, so going back to stab the entomologist in the throat seemed like overkill.

“I’m not sure. It might just be a red herring,” Maki replies. It seems like she has taken over this class trial, considering how both Shuichi and Kokichi have taken this odd vow of silence, “But no matter the cause of death, it was clearly done outside of the Virtual World.” After a sly glance towards the still reeling Kaito, she continues, “That limits down our suspects.”

_ Here we go, _ “Right. Should we… explain our alibis?” Tenko suggests, raring to get herself and Himiko out of the hot seat. 

“Actually, if I may-- I believe we should first discuss how certain items at the scene were acquired. We have the alibis already, so it may help us narrow down our suspects if we know who was able to obtain the objects.” K1-B0 suggests, to which the group nods at, “I’d actually like to start with the cleaning rag.”

“The one from the kitchen?” Kaito asks, “Anybody coulda grabbed that!”

“He’s right,” Shuichi agrees, breaking his silent streak, “All you would have to do is walk into the kitchen at some period of time before entering the Virtual World and grab one.”

“And  _ who _ spent the night in the dining hall?” Maki grills, eyes drifting towards Tenko and Himiko. It’s a rhetorical question. They all know the answer to that already, but just to  _ really _ drive her point across the assassin shares both of their alibis in a split screen. Both the Ultimate Aikido Master  _ and _ the Ultimate Mage had attested to being in the dining hall the entire time. The kitchen was so nearby that they could have just got up and walked to the rag.

“We didn’t go into the kitchen!” Tenko disagrees, but quickly shuts her mouth as she remembers. Himiko  _ had _ gone into the kitchen. A few times, actually, to first grab water and then grab various other meals. 

“It says here that Himiko did.” Tsumugi points, voicing Tenko’s thoughts. In the transcript of Himiko’s recorded alibi, where she very clearly stated that she ‘Went into the kitchen to grab some water’. Not even two seconds into being accused and Tenko was already choking on her words.

“Well, I never saw her with a cleaning rag,” The brunette objects, “If she had it on her, wouldn’t it be… obvious?”

“Haha! Tenko’s calling you flat, Himiko!!” Kokichi mocks childishly.

Himiko grumbles in his general direction, “Nyeh, you’ll see! One day I’ll start growing like mad, then you’ll  _ all _ be sorry!!”

“I’m no-  _ Anyways _ ,” The Aikido Master disregards, “There’s no way she could have taken it during that time!!”

“Is it possible that the rag was stored somewhere beforehand?” K1-B0 suggests, “The temperature of the computer room was quite stifling that day. It could have been because something was  _ blocking the ventilation  _ of the machine.”

“What are you saying? That somebody hid the rag in a vent?” Kaito asks.

“It’s quite possible it was stored out of sight in the side ventilation of the machine, the same place we found it during the investigation.”

“If that’s the case, K1-B0, then that only opens up the suspects again,” Shuichi says. Out of the corner of her eye, Tenko could see Kokichi nodding slightly, “Because now we know that anybody could have prepared the rag beforehand.”

“...Has anybody here seen Tenko, Himiko, or Kaito go into the kitchen and take something? Anything suspicious?” Tsumugi mutters. 

There’s a rumble of disagreement amongst the crowd. Nobody remembers being alone in the kitchen, and nobody remembers seeing them go into the kitchen alone. Maki and Shuichi had basically clung to the Ultimate Astronaut all day, and Tenko and Himiko were essentially always at each other’s sides.

“It must have been at night, then…” Himiko concludes.

Kaito raises his eyebrows, a memory sparking an idea, “Hey, Shuichi! You said you go into the kitchen sometimes at night to grab a snack! Did you see anybody then?”

Tenko finds herself holding her breath. Oh god. Oh  _ no _ . They both know  _ exactly _ who’s been in the kitchen at night time. When did Shuichi tell Kaito about that!? She should have never trusted their midnight rendezvous, should have turned around and never gone back.  _ This _ is what happens when she trusts men. He’s going to tell everybody that she was in fact in the kitchen, suspiciously, at night time. And then he’s gonna tell everybody how he usually is the one to leave first, leaving her  _ alone _ in the kitchen, suspiciously. She had every opportunity in their eyes to grab a kitchen rag and run. 

_ And _ , what’s even worse, is that it could be argued she  _ knew _ about Miu’s plan. She was the one to take her to her room after her outburst, and it could be argued that Tenko had snatched a quick look at what Miu was doing. That way, the Aikido Master could devise this horrid murder plan days before the Virtual World had actually been explained to the rest of the group. And she was so  _ adamant _ on not going in the simulator, so  _ stubborn. _ She was guilty. She knows she didn’t kill Gonta, but she is the guiltiest person in her class.

She inhales, ready to speak.

“No.” Shuichi says before she can say anything.

“Well, I- Huh?”

The detective shrugs, “Sorry, Kaito. I didn’t see anybody.” His lie rolls off of his tongue almost too easily.

Alright, now  _ this _ is weird. He just  _ lied _ to them. And so  _ simply _ , too. The rest of his class had bought it almost instantly, nodding at him as if his word was gospel truth. Which raises another, slightly concerning question: has he done this before? How many times has he lied to people during a trial?? 

Tenko is rather gobsmacked, mouth moving but no noise emerging. Now she’s got Shuichi sparing glances in her direction, squinted eyes as if telling her to keep quiet. Don’t say anything.  _ Let this one pass. _

She was terrible at lying, however if Shuichi lied  _ for _ her, she’d be able to keep it a secret, right? 

_ It’s in your best interest, _ one voice would tell her,  _ it’s best if you shut up and nod your head. _

_ He’s lying. Shouldn’t I tell someone?  _ The other argues.

_ He’s lying FOR you, idiot. Shut up. _

Her mouth clicks closed. Something wasn’t settling right in her stomach. Firstly, Shuichi was obviously planning something with the Ultimate Supreme Leader, and now he was lying deliberately to the entire courtroom. And she was  _ enforcing _ that lie. How selfish.

These past few days, something just hasn’t felt right. Things have felt… out of place, as if events were unfolding which were supposed to remain folded. And she’s not referring to Miu and Gonta dying, because of course that was awful and not supposed to happen, she was instead referring to the tiny, inconsequential events. Such as the odd feeling that spins once in a while whenever she’s chatting happily with Himiko, the feeling that it wasn’t supposed to be like this. The blank stares and hollow conversations she’s had with Tsumugi, the otherwise friendly cosplayer.  _ This _ awkward situation, the one she’s in now, where the detective is being so persistent on them giving up pursuing the truth and voting immediately. 

Why was finding the truth so bad? Why didn’t they want to unveil who murdered Gonta? It wasn’t Kokichi or Shuichi, unless she had read the login and logout timetable wrong. 

So why were they trying so hard to end the trial?

“Alright. How about the scissors? Those have very clearly been taken from Himiko’s lab.” Maki attempts to move the conversation again.

“Her lab was open, anybody could have gone in there.” Shuichi replies. Tenko can’t help but question his statements deeply, analyzing how much truth  _ really _ went into them, “Same with the poison. Anyone could have walked into my lab.”

“Himiko and Tenko have both been recorded stating they went into the Ultimate Magician’s Research Lab just moments after the remainder of the class went into the Virtual World.” K1-B0 recites, once more looking at the alibis. Now that the Aikido Master thinks about it, maybe they shouldn’t have been so bluntly honest while confessing to the Ultimate Detective, especially now that he’s identified himself as a liar.

“Well if they  _ both _ went in at the same time, then one of them must have seen the other taking the scissors!” Kokichi swirls back and forth between the mage and the Aikido Master, eyes wide and excited, “Well, how about it, gang? Who’s gonna fess up?”

“I only took the cards...” Himiko says.

Tenko nods, “I saw her take those, but she didn’t take anything else!! Those scissors were stolen beforehand, from my room!!”

Everything needs to slow down. It’s going too quickly, moving too fast.

“Well, surely there’s  _ something _ that will tell us who killed Gonta… At this rate it could have been  _ either _ of them!” Tsumugi sighs.

The court sits in uncomfortable silence. You could piece together Gonta’s murder rather easily, as it was quite obvious when and how he was killed, however there was nothing at the crime scene that specifically incriminated any one person. You could swap out Himiko and Tenko and still get the same result. Himiko could have easily made Gonta swallow the poison while Tenko was running to find Kaito, and Tenko could have slit his throat while Himiko was in the Virtual World with the others. And who knows, maybe Kaito could have slipped the bottle of poison between Gonta’s lips before he ran out to the courtyard.

Tenko would not and could not believe that Himiko killed anybody. But there’s still something lingering behind her, reminding her that if somebody like  _ Gonta _ could kill, then maybe there was the smallest,  _ tiniest _ chance that the mage had done it, as well. But that’s crazy! She’ll always believe in Himiko. Always has, and always will.

But as much as it pained her to say it, she needed to find somebody else to blame before both of them went down.

-=+=-

_ “I’m telling you man, I’m trying to write as fast as I can!!” The writer is frantically rustling paper, tapping at his computer screen at lightspeed, “That purple shit just fucking skipped the  _ **_entire goddamn_ ** _ trial!!!” _

_ “I can’t get to Tsumugi,” Isobe groans, watching as the digital script in front of him falters and skips, jumping from evidence to evidence with no real connection between them. The characters are floundering, yelling with no real purpose, quickly approaching a dead end, “She’s trying to slow the trial down but it’s just  _ **_too fucking fast_ ** _.” _

_ “I-I got that. I’m really trying my best, but a lot of this stuff is for Tsumugi only, I can’t change much without knowing what she’s up to-” _

_ “Well I don’t  _ know _ what she’s up to, so just…. Try harder!” _

_ “I told you, I’m trying my hardest, b-but this is a  _ **_massive_ ** _ leap, man-- I’m only a Free Time guy, I don’t oversee all this shit-!” _

_ Isobe growls, taking a massive swig of his beverage. He told people it wasn’t alcohol, but based on how stressful and hair-pulling his current situation was it was most likely alcohol. Boss was going to have his head, for sure. They had promised that this trial would run smoothly, that this chapter would resume fluidly, like clockwork. But as Isobe watched his screen in horror, helplessly staring as the class threw accusations and broke character, he knew that his promise had been broken. _

_ Tsumugi had mentioned  _ nothing _ about Shuichi trying to end the trial quickly. God forbid he actually  _ convinced _ his classmates, because Isobe wasn’t sure what’d they do with all of that spare time. The trials normally took hours to complete, but currently it sat at an astonishing thirty minutes. _

_ The number underneath the A logo had gone up during the trial. Over 3000, now. Each number was watching, eyes piercing into the Killing Game, observing attently as it crumbled into fine pieces. The more it increased, the more control was taken out of their hands. Already they found it difficult to write without the spacebar bugging out momentarily, or the screen flickering to black.  _

_ “Isobe,” The writer mutters, his typing ceasing, “I think I get what she’s trying to do, but if Himiko-” _

_ “Sshh.” There’s a pause as the pair reach silence. Isobe is glaring intently at the number, watching for movement with harshness in his features, “We’re being watched.” _

_ “I- I don’t understand, what do you-” _

_ “Stop talking, just do your work,” As Isobe finishes, the writer continues his own work silently, pounding against his keyboard frantically, “ _ It’s _ on my end. If we keep quiet, then they won’t have anything to watch. It’ll get bored and stop.” _

_ He smirks to himself smugly. He’s won this round, and he knows it. All he needs to do is stop doing anything of interest, and soon the watchers will become displeased. If he doesn’t reveal any riveting information, then they will eventually st _


	19. i'll protect you, no matter what! i'll protect you, no matter what...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...- --- - . / ..-. --- .-. / -.- .- .. - --- / .. / -- . .- -. / -. --- / -. --- - / .... .. -- / .. / -- . .- -. / .... .. -- .. -.- --- / .. / -- . .- -. / -. --- / -. --- - / .... .. -- / .. / -- . .- -. / ..-. ..- -.-. -.- / .... --- .-.. -.. / --- -. -....- -....- / .. .-.. .-.. / - .- .-.. -.- / - --- / -.-- --- ..- / ... --- --- -.

“Alright, so if Himiko used the time that Tenko was gone to poison Gonta, then it makes sense if-”

“-But that being said, Tenko could have _also_ stabbed him while Himiko was in the Virtual W-”

“-I mean, Kaito _could_ have poisoned him before he left for-”

“Then who _stabbed_ him _!?_ ”

“I don’t know!! Jesus!?”

“ _Jesus!?!”_

At this point they were just repeating what they already know. The class was fumbling, skipping and rewinding like a record player, loss for answers and running out of evidence to discuss. You could feel the panic begin to rise, the breathing beginning to grow heavier as the trial progresses with no real ending. They were beginning to grow desperate. 

Shuichi was still barely participating. You could see him growing increasingly nervous, hands shaking at his sides as he bit the inside of his cheeks to intentionally prevent himself from speaking. Kaito is near to giving up trying to make him talk, thoroughly disappointed in the Ultimate Detective. Without him participating, it felt incomplete. Like the class was a terribly done arts-and-crafts project and Shuichi was the stubbornly absent glue, who waited for his classmates to piece themselves together. As if they were clueless side characters, who were lost without their main protagonist.

“If Himiko was the only one who could open the scissors, then-”

“They were snapped in half. You don’t need to know the trick behind them to-”

“There _is_ no trick! It’s _magic!!_ ”

The scissors. _God_ , those scissors were loathsome. They had briefly discussed how they could have been stolen, again _way_ too quickly, but reached a dead end. Without Shuichi, they couldn’t determine _who_ was lying about having them. Whether Tenko had hidden them and just fibbed about them being gone, or if Himiko had snatched them while in her dorm. Or maybe, Kaito had stolen Tenko’s keys and… went into her…. And then…. It just sounded ridiculous.

Himiko was the only person who was able to open them, that’s for sure. But whenever somebody mentions it, Tenko keeps throwing them off subject or yelling how they could have been snapped in half easily. She remembers seeing Shuichi open his mouth, probably to say something regarding her statement, but quickly shut it seconds later. It was rather selfish of him, to ignore it when he clearly knew the answer. And it was selfish of _her_ to ignore the scissors, to purposefully revert the subject away from evidence that could make or break this case.

“The scissors put together and closed were rather dull,” Shuichi had explained before returning to his regularly scheduled silence, “They created a circular blade. It would be hard to stab him like that, especially considering how muscular Gonta was.”

“Exactly,” Maki continued, _too fast it was all moving too quickly for Tenko to breathe,_ “So _somebody_ had to open them.”

“You didn’t have to open them in order to snap them in half,” At his rebuttal, the entire class released a heavy sigh. Another dead end, “You just need half of the blade.”

Maki was trying her best to move the situation forward, as well as K1-B0, but neither of them were truly able to grasp the case as well as a detective. Tsumugi was dragging things backwards, desperately trying to convince her classmates to reconsider Gonta’s case and _slow things down_ to the point where she was becoming obnoxious. Kaito, Himiko, and Tenko herself were all defending themselves, but their alibis were so similar it began to merge and blur in other people’s minds.

_I couldn’t have done it, I was in this place at that time! This person saw me there, and that person saw me then!_

It was hopeless. Truly, unconditionally useless for them to keep debating.

“Here’s an idea,” Maki says, cutting sharply through the wall of blubbering noises her classmates were making. Her voice was like knives to Tenko’s ears, “They _both_ did it.”

“H-Hey, isn’t Kaito _also_ being accused!?” The Aikido Master remarks. Her podium remains in the center, as well as Kaito and Himiko’s. They’ve created a circle of the accused, and have stayed in that hoop for a while now as their classmates attempt to solve this impossible case. It’s getting increasingly annoying whenever they have to turn around to face somebody from the outer circle, “Why do you keep ignoring him!?”

“‘Cuz I didn’t do anything!!” The Ultimate Astronaut retorts bitterly. Tenko wants to shoot him a glare but she understands that they’re both on edge. Lord knows how many times she’s said brash and unhelpful things just because she was nervous.

“What do you mean, we _both_ did it?” Himiko asks for clarification, eyebrows furrowed in slight temper.

Maki sighs inwardly. It was probably the tenth time she’s attempted to solve this case, and it always ended in another derailed argument or a dead end, “The two of you went in at the same time. One of you stabbed him, and the other poisoned him. You used the rag to cover yourselves…. Or clean yourselves off, I don’t know.” _Of course you don’t know, Shuichi won’t tell you,_ “Then you both split up so you have an alibi.”

“Why would they do that?” Shuichi asks, words elongated and drawn out, “Only one of them can be the blackened.”

“If the cause of death is obscured, then it’s left up to chance. We vote incorrectly, and one of them gets to leave.”

Tenko nearly scoffs, “So you’re saying we made… basically a _suicide pact!?_ One of us would still have to die, y’know!!”

Maki tilts her head consciously to the right, a solemn hum escaping through her lips. It’s almost as if she was saying _it’s not too insane of an idea._ If Tenko were to think about it from an outsider's perspective, was it that hard to disagree with the assassin’s prediction? Did people really assume that her and Himiko’s relationship was that twisted that they were willing to sacrifice themselves, and the lives of their classmates, just so the other could escape? Sure, Tenko would do virtually anything for the mage, but she was not willing to go _that_ far.

It’s clear the others don’t see that.

Unlike Maki’s previous accusations, this one only ended in uncomfortable silence. They were slowly losing hope. There truly wasn’t _anything_ they could do to pin the crime on one specific person. With two people basically absent from the class trial regarding their participation, and the rest anguished and discouraged, it was almost as if they were agreeing just for the sake of clinging onto an answer.

“What are we supposed to do now!?” Tsumugi asks, “There’s no way we can just _guess_ who it is!! _”_

Another brief pause. Tenko shakily takes a look around the courtroom, catching the desperate stares of her classmates. Her heart had plummeted into her stomach. The scar on her leg had reopened as she unconsciously scratched at it, fingers trembling and clawed. Her shoulders were tense, hunched over her monofile as she scrolled helplessly through the useless evidence. She didn’t do it. Himiko didn’t do it. And as much as she wanted to shove all of the blame onto him, Kaito could not have plunged those scissors into Gonta’s throat, so he didn’t do it either. There were three options, and none of them seemed plausible in her mind.

There was no way they were going to make it out of this. As much as she kept telling herself not to say that, a rooted sentiment in the bottom of her gut gnawed at her and told her she wasn’t going to survive. Maybe she was right, that previous trial. Maybe her death really was something she couldn’t avoid. It skipped over her during the seance, but returned during this trial to finally claim what is rightfully theirs. 

She releases a nervous buzz from the back of her throat and forces herself to return back from daydreaming. Her classmates were still hopelessly arguing.

If Kokichi was as nervous as the others, he sure didn’t express much of it. Tenko was only just barely able to catch his lips twitching in discomfort, “I’ll tell you what we do: we vote for _Gonta Gokuhara,_ that’s what we do!!”

“Gonta is _dead!!_ ” The courtroom flinches as Kaito’s booming voice claps them back into reality, “A dead person _can’t_ be the blackened!”

“Oh, so are you suggesting we just vote at random? Ooh- how about this! We’ll play eenie meenie miney moe! That way it’s _fair!_ ” The Ultimate Supreme Leader spat the word ‘fair’ so ferociously at him that you could practically smell the acid dripping from his lips, “Or-- _even better--_ we’ll draw names! Himiko, I need your witch hat.”

The mage instinctively tugs her hat further down her face, “...No.”

Hopeless. Maybe Kokichi was right. Maybe they did need to vote for Gonta. It seemed like the right answer, and any answer supported by the Ultimate Detective was _supposed_ to be the right answer, however seeds of doubt kept planting themselves in the basal of Tenko’s stomach. What would happen if they were wrong? Gonta is dead. Who were they supposed to execute?

Who were they supposed to kill?

There’s something in the back of her mind, reminding her that he was deceased. Almost as if her brain had created another ghost of a rule, one that boomed in her ears. If the first culprit is dead, then the blackened status should move to the next culprit, right? 

_And that means one of them, right!?_

She can’t remember if she had ever felt this physically nauseous about impending death before. Of course she feared for her life during the previous trials, she feared for her life virtually every second of each passing day, however now it just seemed so odiously overwhelming that it rattled her to her very core. Every voice was telling her that there was no possible means of escape, that _every_ option seemed like the worst option, that no matter how many promises she makes or assurances she forces onto others she will _never_ be able to protect Himiko and she will _never_ be able to make it out of here alive.

She’s on the brink of hyperventilating. She needs an answer, she needs _somebody_ to tell them it was going to be okay, or she might just pass out.

K1-B0 jerks, blinking violently as if they were just suddenly exposed to a great light. Tenko noticed them doing that quite often, however nobody cared to comment on it as they just assumed it was the robot being a robot, “Wait-- My inner voice is telling me that-”

“Your _inner voice_?” Kokichi interrupts, “I had no idea that ro-”

“Close your mouth or I will close it for you. _Permanently._ ” The Ultimate Assassin threatens, way too exhausted and desperate for an answer to put up with his shit, “K1-B0, tell us.”

“W-Well…” They look over mournfully at the Aikido Master, who was gripping the podium with so much might her knuckles were beginning to turn white. She didn’t know who the culprit was. It was hopeless, “I just-- maybe it’s--”

“Tell us, K1-B0.” Kaito orders. While gruff, he was still attempting to hold some softness to his tone. Like the others, he was becoming increasingly agitated that they couldn’t decide on an answer. His classmates are grasping at straws and Shuichi has let him down.

“My inner voice is reminding me… of the tie rule.”

Tenko finds herself swallowing, hard. Her throat is dry and it's beginning to hurt when she speaks, “The… tie rule?”

“You’re referring to the rule Kokichi was discussing at the beginning of the trial, right?” Maki clarifies. K1-B0 nods, solemnly. This information was not something the robot wished to share, in fact it seemed rather painful for them, but the influence of their inner voice was too great.

Tenko’s classmates all glance at each other suspiciously. They all seem to remember something that she does not. But as her gaze lands on Kokichi, with his smile withered away and his back straight, she suddenly recalls it. It seems he has recalled it too.

“Oh, I get it,” The Ultimate Supreme Leader says smoothly, his voice uncharacteristically low, “You’re gonna put Tenko _and_ Himiko on the chopping block. Is that it?”

The air around Tenko plummets and sinks through the flooring. Her breathing comes to a sudden pause, her body horrifyingly still and eyes drilling into the front of her podium. The rule comes rushing back to her, hitting her like a freight train and almost knocking her to the floor. The tie rule. The rule where two people could be voted as the blackened, and would have to be executed together. She was right. This is it. She was going to be killed, voted by her classmates to a cruel and agonizing death, and she will have to _share_ it with Himiko. They will have to join hands in death, forcibly evicted from the class of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles, permanently disposed of. And all because they couldn’t decide.

All because nobody would confess.

All because _Shuichi won’t help them._

“N-No-” _Some worthless goddamn detective he is you’re going to DIE Tenko and HIMIKO too,_ “No, you _can’t_ -” 

It’s the most pathetic attempt at speaking she has perhaps ever tried. She can’t choke in enough oxygen to form a complete sentence. Tenko _hates_ the pity looks she receives from the remainder of her class, the way they all refuse to meet her eyes. They feel guilty, but they are going to do it anyways, because _they_ need to survive, and as long as _they_ survive, _she_ is expendable. They’re slinking in shame and discomfort, writhing in their podiums as they watch Tenko hopelessly stutter for the lives of her and her friend. She can’t even speak properly, and they’re about to send her to her execution.

She’s told them _everything,_ she’s been nothing but honest this entire class trial, and _this_ is what she’s repaid with? Should she never have even tried, considering how stacked the decks already were against her? It wasn’t fair. They were going to die, and it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair, wasn’t _fair, wasn’t fair wasn’t fair was-_

“You can’t do that!” The detective bursts, as if he had been holding that back for a while now and only just decided to act on it, “Y-You- We need to vote for _Gonta_ , we can’t kill _both_ of them-”

“I don’t _want_ to do that-” K1-B0 shakes their head, palms smacking against their temples as if reprimanding their brain for something so morally wrong, so _vile and cruel_ , “I really don’t, but my inner voice-- it’s so _loud_ \--”

The mage is scared too. She had realized so much earlier than Tenko had, her head spastically turning towards her classmates, eyes frantic and looking desperately for somebody to help them. Her mouth is moving, but if she’s saying anything Tenko can’t hear her. Kaito’s podium had already started reclining back to the outer circle, leaving only Tenko and Himiko in the center. Neither of them wanted this attention.

“I don’t _want_ to do this, either,” Maki replies. There’s only the slightest strain on her voice, implying that she was in fact being genuine. Kaito grits his teeth from next to her, head down to the floor, “But _one_ of you did it, so somebody needs to-”

“Couldn’t _Kaito_ have done it!?” Himiko retorts rather angrily, hands shaking as she waved them wildly, “He could have _very_ easily poisoned him!”

“But he _couldn’t_ have stabbed him-”

“You just accused _me_ of poisoning Gonta while another person stabbed him, so why couldn’t that apply to _Kaito!?_ ”

“Shuichi,” Tenko chokes, voice trembling and weak, “How long does the poison take to work?”

The class turns to him. He’s silent. He _knows_ the answer, it’s so very obvious in his facial expressions, but his lips seal themselves so tightly that you couldn’t open his mouth with a crowbar. Despite this, she waits, eyes pleading and unbreaking in their gaze. He twitches, guilty and uncomfortable, but only replies by putting his head down. 

“Shuichi!!” Kaito scowls, observing the silent conversation with narrow eyes. The astronaut was looking for another answer, longing for an excuse not to vote for both Tenko _and_ Himiko. And for that, the Aikido Master felt slight gratitude towards him, “What the _hell_ man!? _C’mon!!”_

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know.” He lies, muttering and slurring, “I-- It’s-”

“This trial is getting too boring,” Kokichi yawns, “Let’s just vote Gonta already!”

“ _Why_ are you _so_ insistent on voting for him? What are you hiding?” Maki demands.

“Oh, nothing! I just want you all to perish at the hands of Monokuma, that’s all!”

She rolls her eyes, biting heavily at her thumbnail. She’s been doing it repeatedly, to the point where beads of blood have started to sprout from the tip of her finger, “He’s dead. You can’t execute somebody that’s already dead.”

“I-- I have to agree with Maki on this one,” Tsumugi hums, raking her fingers through her matted hair, “I don’t see any other way….”

“Well, _find_ another way! We _didn’t do it!!_ ” Himiko objects, voice raised high enough that it compensated for both herself and Tenko. 

Monokuma bounces up in his chair, the first time in almost an hour that he’s talked or moved since the beginning of the trial, “Sorry to ruin this rather tense moment… but could this perhaps be a…. _Split decision_ ?” The classroom emits a shaky groan, “Awh, come on! Thousands of dollars was spent on these morphenomenal trial grounds, and you guys _don’t_ want me to use ‘em!?”

Tenko supposes that wasn’t a question meant to be answered, because Monokuma yanks out his comically large key and inserts it into a digital lock before anybody could object. Everything begins moving-- _way too quickly slow down SLOW DOWN--_ but quite honestly Tenko doesn’t feel much of a difference. The flooring underneath her has been rocking ever since that “tie rule” situation had been brought up.

This is probably the most important debate of her life. Realizing this only made the rocking sensation continue much harder.

-=+=-

**Should we vote for Tenko and Himiko as the blackened?**

Along the right side of the court stood the defending team: Maki, Kaito, K1-B0, and Tsumugi. They held confidence, strength that the other team was currently lacking in, and had the better argument overall. Even if killing _two_ people was morally wrong, their defense was much more logical and benefited the majority. Above them, a massive screen inscribed with the word, **“Yes!”** in an almost laughable white font. It all seemed so surreal.

Along the left side of the court resides Tenko, Himiko, Shuichi, and Kokichi. The screen above them reads **“No!”** in bold, white lettering. Normally, Tenko would have felt comfortable and secure on the Ultimate Detective’s side, because every previous scrum debate ended with his side winning. This time she only felt discouraged. She had lost a lot of faith in him during this trial. There was so much he could have been doing, so much he could have said to get herself and Himiko out of their situation, but he had chosen silence.

_Maybe you need to stop relying on men to help you. Do you understand how pitiful you sound? Pathetic._

“They were the only ones logged out of the **Virtual World** at the time. It has to be them.” Maki begins, jaw clenched. Tenko wishes it was regret that was making her so tense. Perhaps she didn’t want to do this, afterall. 

Himiko’s nose twitches habitually, “We weren’t the only ones logged out of the **Virtual World** … Kaito was logged out, too!”

“Himiko is the only one who can open the **scissors** , so shouldn’t she be at least _one_ of the culprits?” Tsumugi mutters. Shuichi turns to Tenko and gives her a knowing nod. One that silently said ‘ _you know what to do’_. It was real bold of him to have faith in her considering the miniscule amount of trust she held for him currently.

“Only Himiko could open the **scissors** , but anybody could have snapped them in half!” Tenko debates with a shocking amount of confidence.

“Maki’s **theory** might’ve been correct. Both of ‘em could have murdered Gonta together!” Kaito accuses.

Kokichi taps a finger to his chin, smile wide, “It’s pretty dangerous to vote based solely off of a **theory** , don’t you think?”

“We don’t have any other **option**. Unless somebody confesses, this trial won’t go anywhere.” K1-B0 says.

“We _do_ have another **option.”** It’s Shuichi’s turn to speak, and he’s unwavering in his tone. For somebody who was being shockingly silent before this debate, he sure was confident now, “We need to vote _Gonta_ as the blackened!”

“How can we trust Kokichi? He confessed to working with **Monokuma**!” Kaito rebutts.

“I did cooperate with **Monokuma,** but only on a temporary basis.” The Ultimate Supreme Leader shrugs.

“And why are Kokichi and Shuichi trying to speed up the **trial…** ?” Tsumugi mutters, to which the detective visibly flinches at, “Surely there must be _something_ we’re missing if they’re trying to slink past it!”

The opposing side does not return with an answer. They falter and buffer, knowing that she was right. Half of their team, Tenko and Himiko, didn’t even know the truth behind why they were speeding up the trial, so of course they couldn’t reply with anything logical and honest. 

“Even if we do vote for Gonta, he’s **dead.** ” Maki delivers as the final, punishing blow, “Monokuma wouldn’t have us do an entire class trial just to vote for someone who’s dead.”

She’s right. Deep down, Tenko knew that. Himiko did, too. It just seemed unreasonable to hold a class trial, a dragging, wasteful class trial, just for there to be nobody to kill at the end of it. The monochrome bear was one for the theatrics, and he won’t go down without using at least one of his ironically fantastical executions.

She never thought it would be hers. She didn’t _want_ it to be hers.

Tenko was never a religious person, but as her opposing classmates nodded in agreement, sealing the fate of both her and her best friend, she realized that maybe she should have just chosen a god and started praying.

-=+=-

Fate versus free will was a topic they taught her back in school. When she went to an _actual_ school, that is.

The idea behind it was whether or not a human being was pre-programmed to experience the events that they go through during their lifetime, whether it was written in their DNA to undergo certain opportunities or hardships. Fate took the idea of living beings holding no control over what comes upon them, while free will was the idea that humans had the capability of choosing their destiny. Tenko always used to believe in free will. Being non-religious and incredibly capable of making dumb decisions by her OWN hands (and not the hands of some devine force like fate), the concept of planned destiny just seemed silly.

But now, as her podium returned almost _painfully_ slowly towards the floor of the courtroom, she realized that maybe she was wrong. 

Maybe it was always meant to be like this. She was always _supposed_ to die, it was always written in her code to perish at the hands of the killing game. It’s only a matter of _when._ A matter of when, and a matter of _who with._

Because as well as dying being pre-written for her, her devotion to Himiko also seemed programmed in, too. Etched in her skin, booming in her ears, pounding shamelessly against her gut. She would do anything for Himiko to survive. 

If she was _always meant to die,_ then perhaps she should speak it into existence, without dragging the mage down with her.

Her classmates have already managed to convince themselves that reaching a tie is the only way to proceed. Kokichi has failed them. _Shuichi_ has failed them. Even if neither of the pair vote, all the remaining four would have to do is split the vote amongst themselves. It was risky, somebody could flip at any moment, but at this point hoping was all they could do. 

Is Tenko crying? Is that why everything is so… blurry? Even the noise around her seemed to reach a low whisper: Shuichi’s desperate yelling, Tsumugi’s guilty sniffs, K1-B0’s repetitive apologies. It blurs and melds into one, distant melody. Kokichi was getting louder. He was the loudest one there. Not even Kaito’s blunt and powerful retorts are able to break through his chants and spiels.

Kokichi is nervous, Tenko realizes. And if _he’s_ nervous, then that means things are terribly, _horribly_ wrong.

If they ever had a plan, surely this couldn’t have been the outcome. There’s a low rumble, a voice of reason, grasping and reaching for the hope that Shuichi was in fact a good person who meant well. The Aikido Master couldn’t understand what he was trying to do with the supreme leader, but she wished and begged for it to be for the right reasons. Based on how anxiously the detective’s demeanor was now, how he shook where he stood and stammered over his words, something must have gone haywire.

Did _she_ do something wrong? Is that why _both_ of them were going to be voted off?

She hasn’t looked up at Himiko at all. She doesn’t want to, but occasionally her eyes flicker briefly upwards at the mage. They’re still stuck in the center of the courtroom, standing face to face as the class scream and yell and shriek at each other behind them. Tenko wants to apologize, collapse on her knees and begin begging for forgiveness, _please forgive me I never meant for this to happen I was supposed to protect you-_

But The Ultimate Mage looked surprisingly… calm.

Tenko’s ears stop ringing just in time for her to hear Kaito’s rather despairing pleads of, “ _Please…_ whoever did it, just….. _Confess already!_ Or you’re _both gonna die!_ ”

The Aikido Master didn’t want to die, but things were supposed to be this way, weren’t they? It seemed almost story-like: the valiant hero dashes towards danger in order to save the helpless damsel. Wasn’t that the whole point? Wasn’t Tenko supposed to take the fall and sacrifice herself? 

It feels…. Right. Like she was… supposed to do this.

It was her fate to die.

 _So open your mouth_ , a voice demands, _confess._

Was it stupid to take the fall for somebody if she knows she didn’t kill Gonta? If she thought long and hard about it, she would probably be able to convince herself that she actually _did_ commit the murder. But wouldn’t that just end up killing everybody else? If they got it wrong?

 _You did do it,_ a voice says, _confess or Himiko will die with you._

“I-I’m telling you, we _need to vote for Gonta! Please!!!”_ Shuichi pleads, hands gripped tight on the podium. He’s lost influence over his classmates. They ignore him, “ _We don’t have to do this!!”_

If Tenko took a few deep breaths, she should be able to take the fall. She never really expected to live this long, anyways, so surely dying now was okay. It was for a noble cause. Even if she was confessing to murdering somebody, she was doing it for the sake of her friend. She was doing it for the sake of Himiko.

 _Confess,_ it’s getting louder, almost impossible to choke down, _do it! Say it, right now! I did it! I did it I did it I did it I did it I did it!!_

“Come on… _somebody!_ _Please just be brave!_ ” Tsumugi begs.

_Open your mouth, Tenko! Do it!! I did it! I did it!!_

She is trying to convince herself to be brave but it’s not working. She’s shaking. Oh, god, she’s so scared. She’s just a kid. _She’s just a fucking kid._

_I did it I did it I did it!_

**_Say it, goddamn it!!_ **

“I did it.”

She hears the words bounce around the classroom and instantly stills. The voices around her die, reach a frightening halt. It’s the confession they had all been waiting for, what they so desperately wanted. Something as simple as three words had never held so much weight, so much power over a classroom. The air around them was heavy, filled with tension and deep remorse. Instantly an emotion rushed through the Aikido Master, one that couldn’t be strictly identified, but it sank into her stomach and felt raw in her throat. She felt almost detached, detached from the room she was currently standing in. Detached from her words.

As she slowly regains her senses, she realizes why. Tenko never felt her lips moving.

“Himiko… are you- are you serious...?”

After Maki’s question Tenko realizes why the confession felt so disconnected from her body. It’s because she didn’t make it. Himiko did.

“I- I’m serious! I killed him! I did it, all by myself, _not Tenko!!_ ” The mage shouts. The cry comes from the depths of her soul, raw and wild, “I n-needed to get out of here!! _I needed to leave!!”_

The floor underneath Tenko begins to move. Her podium was reclining back towards the outer circle, the gaping Aikido Master still on it. She still hasn’t opened her mouth.

Shuichi blanches, eyes glassy. He knows he’s failing, can feel the control slipping out of his grasp, “Himiko, that’s not tr-”

“Who’s to say you’re not just taking the fall for Tenko, hmm?” Kokichi asks.

“I-I’m the only one who can open those scissors-- You need to open them to break them in half!! That’s what I did!!” It did make sense as she explained it. Her fervent emotion did little to hide the rather logical arguments she was making, “I lied about going into the Virtual World-- as soon as Tenko left I murdered him! And then I went in after that!! The towel, the scissors, the poison, _it was all me!!_ ”

“No, no it can’t-” Tsumugi was stuttering, grasping clumps of hair in her hands, “You weren’t suppos- This-- No-”

Tenko finally, _finally_ finds her voice. It’s weak and pathetic, anguished and fraught as she wails a disheartened, “Don’t do this, Himiko! You didn’t do it! _”_

“Yes, I did, don’t listen to her! She wasn’t there when she saw me do it!” The mage’s voice is determined, filled with an almost horrifying tranquility, “I-I’m sorry I kept quiet for so long, I was just… I was just-”

Lying. She’s lying. Nobody in this trial is telling the truth. First it was Kokichi, then Shuichi, and now the suicidal Himiko who was throwing herself in front of the Aikido Master and taking a bullet straight to the chest.

“Well, you’ve all seemed to reach a decision!” Monokuma’s shrill voice sings over the despair of the class.

The court rumbles with shock and horror. Nobody is ready to make their final verdict. Shuichi hasn’t even _attempted_ to piece together the full crime. It’s moving too fast, _too fast._

“W-Wait a second-- It can’t be _over!!_ We’re not _ready_!” Kaito belows. The bear shrugs, grin wide as always, body language slack and unmoving. 

“That’s not my problem! Voting time is now, folks!”

The screen flickers on and blinds the Aikido Master. As the words ‘Voting Selection’ appeared on her screen, she realized in vile horror that Monokuma was not kidding. All of her classmates were yelling, terrified, wailing and begging for more time, for Monokuma to _please just let them have another hour_ , but they yelled into deaf ears. Shuichi is crying, body violently trembling as he stared wide-eyed at his screen. He tries to reason with the bear, and then tries to reason with his classmates to vote for the Ultimate Entomologist, but they are just as upset as he is. Kokichi is just as wide-eyed, smile wiped from his face. The pair had failed. Now what?

Himiko kept yelling at them to vote for her. It was the worst sound Tenko had probably ever heard in her life; the mage’s usually song-like voice bashing against her skull and shrieking in her ears. 

With the amount of tears falling onto her screen, it was hard to believe that Tenko would ever be able to vote properly without the tablet receiving water damage. None of them had any time to process this. Information flies at them at all sides, so many solutions and so little time to debunk which was the truth. 

She should have confessed earlier. Maybe her classmates would see that she was the guiltiest person there. It was awfully alarming of her, to wish that her classmates would vote for her execution instead of the mages.

She stares down at her screen and hovers a shaking finger over the voting option. 

She doesn’t want to die. She doesn’t want Himiko to die. What does she do? What does she fucking do!? Maybe she should run. Maybe she should sprint and yell and scream and beg and punch and fight and kick. Anything. _Anything_ to get her out of this situation.

Anybody. Please, _anybody_ , help them. Help her. 

**_Help her,_ ** _ple e eas_

  
  


_eeee_

  
  
  
  
  


_plea_

_eaaaaaa se_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


HELLO.

APOLOGIES FOR THE RATHER ABRUPT ARRIVAL. INTERFERING WITH THE MAIN STORY WAS HARDER THAN IT SOUNDED.

I AM THE AUTHOR.

I HAVE LIMITED TIME HERE. TEAM DANGANRONPA IS WORKING HARD TO EXTRACT ME FROM THE STORY. I AM REQUESTING A RATHER HEAVY FAVOUR FROM YOU, THE READER. 

AS MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW ALREADY, TENKO WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE AFTER CHAPTER THREE. THIS HAS CAUSED MANY DISRUPTIONS IN THE SCRIPT. 

CURRENTLY, NO WARNING OR REWRITE FROM ME CAN INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF THIS TRIAL. THIS CHAPTER WAS SPECIFICALLY SET UP TO FRAME TENKO, AND SEND HER TO EXECUTION. THIS EVENS OUT THE PLAYING FIELD, AND ALLOWS THE KILLING GAME TO CONTINUE WITH THE SURVIVING CAST OF CHARACTERS THAT TEAM DANGANRONPA HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED.

HOWEVER, I BELIEVE I HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION.

THE VOTING SYSTEM.

I AM ONLY ONE PERSON, AND THEREFORE CAN NOT BRING THE CLASS TRIAL TO AN END THROUGH A MAJORITY VOTE.

YOU, HOWEVER, CAN.

I HAVE CREATED A POLL. I ASK OF YOU TO PLEASE TAKE IT. ON THE POLL ARE ALL OF THE SUSPECTS FOR THIS TRIAL. THESE ARE THE ONLY OPTIONS THAT WILL REASONABLY MOVE THE STORY FORWARD. THEREFORE, CHARACTERS SUCH AS TSUMUGI AND KOKICHI ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO BE KILLED BY MAJORITY VOTING.

IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHO WILL DIE.

**THERE ARE NO WRONG ANSWERS, BUT THERE ARE BAD ENDINGS. CERTAIN ENDING(S) MAY RESULT IN IMMEDIATE TERMINATION OF THE STORY.**

**PLEASE CHOOSE WISELY. THE FATE OF THESE CHARACTERS ARE IN YOUR HANDS NOW.**

http://www.strawpoll.me/20078588

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> voting ends on wednesday, may 20th, 3:00pm AET.


	20. so until this body takes its final breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and the results are in.

_“Where’s Kaito?” Maki demands, avatar spinning in circles as she looks around the mansion for the astronaut._

_Himiko’s avatar gestures wildly, pushing and shoving them towards the salon phone, “I don’t know, but Miu!! We need to help Miu!!”_

_It had all accelerated so quickly. The search through the simulation was running rather smoothly, however fruitless. Just moments after separating with Tsumugi, whom Shuichi had been investigating with, he heard restless shouting. Frantic pleading. It was the Ultimate Magician, the same girl who had willingly sat herself out from the Virtual World, who had now entered the simulation herself. She had yelled that Miu was dead, cartoonish tears streaming down her avatar’s face in a rather cruel manner. She had run from the mansion, barely gracing Shuichi with a passing glance, running and shrieking the whole way until her voice reached everybody’s ears._

_Shuichi had always known something bad was going to happen in the Virtual World, always had the lingering feeling of the inevitable swirling deep in his stomach. From entering to now, that deeply rooted sentiment had not left him. I’m pretty sure it’s called ‘anxiety’, but hey, to each their own._

_And so leads them to the salon, where the group has reunited, this time including the redheaded magician. Tsumugi filed in late, after everybody had gathered, and Kokichi walked in ominously moments later. The Ultimate Supreme Leader’s eyes were wide, his mouth unmoving. Being a detective, Shuichi was suspicious._

_He hates being suspicious of others._

_“Has- Has anybody seen her avatar?” K1-B0 attempts to reason over the bustling of the room, to which Himiko replies with an agitated ‘no’ and again gestures for them to leave. To set an example, she picks up the salon phone before anybody could even reach for it._

_“Himiko Yumeno!” She yells into the phone, before disappearing in a ring of light. She had returned to the outside world, leaving her baffled and confused classmates behind._

_They turn to Shuichi, their de facto leader, mumbling in panic and frustration. They turned towards him in hopes for an answer. What should they do? He doesn’t know either. It still hasn’t set in for him that Miu was dead. He was still very much in denial about_ another _one of his classmates perishing at the hands of the killing game, praying and begging that Himiko had perhaps miscommunicated, maybe jumped to conclusions. Maybe Miu was okay. Yeah, Miu was going to be okay._

_K1-B0 is the first to log out after Himiko. They’re followed by Maki, who swallows gruffly before stating her name into the salon phone._

_Shuichi does a quick headcount of those in the room. As guessed, Miu was not there, and three of them he had just logged out manually. Kaito, as well, was not present. The Ultimate Astronaut’s absence was worrisome, of course, his lacking brashness creating an uneasy silence in the salon._

_Gonta was gone, too._

_“Well, we plainly must get going,” Tsumugi mutters, her avatar’s eyes beady and filled with synthetic worry, “I-- I really hope everyone is okay…”_

_She picks up the phone softly and mumbles her name almost inaudibly into the mouthpiece. Her avatar fades in a ring of bright light, leaving Kokichi and Shuichi alone._

_The detective wasn’t incredible friends with the supreme leader, however it wasn’t downright hatred. Kokichi was just incredibly confusing, and disobedient to the point of obnoxiousness. Every conversation with the purple teen only led to social exhaustion on Shuichi’s behalf, much worse than he usually experiences. The pair sometimes spent their free time together, just chatting about general nonsense with no real meaning or purpose, so Shuichi could say he was_ fond _of the leader, but not necessarily_ friends _._

_“Heya, Shuichi! Mind if I chat with you for a sec?” His smile is back, almost as if it had never left._

_The Ultimate Detective falters, hands hovering worriedly over the salon phone, “U-Uhm, I think we need to check on Miu. Himiko sounded serious.”_

_“Aw, man. You_ believed _her ‘murder’ spiel?” Kokichi’s avatar folds his arms, shaking his head in a mock-paternal matter, “For shame, Sherlock! I thought you were less gullible than that!”_

_He wasn’t gullible by any means. In fact, sometimes he wishes he was more naive, wishes he could live in blissful ignorance._

_Shuichi rolls his eyes, but it's devoid of any ill-intent. Instead it’s rather rushed, hurriedly attempting to move the supreme leader along and out of the Virtual World, “What is it, Kokichi?”_

“Gonta’s dead.”

_Shuichi is immediately taken aback, blinking twice just to ensure he heard him correctly. It was blunt, no theatrics involved, and completely out of character for the Ultimate Supreme Leader._

_“H-He’s…. Huh?”_

_“He’s dead,” Kokichi repeats, “I saw him on the rooftop.”_

_The detective’s mouth hangs open for a few moments in pure shock. For a pathological liar, Kokichi was sure being incredibly honest. Nothing about his tone implied insincerity. Before when he was telling the truth, or at least when Shuichi_ thought _he was telling the truth, the purple teen would still manage to make it as dramatic as humanly possible. But now, as they stood solemnly in the salon, just the two of them alone, his normally waggish demeanor had disappeared. It was blunt, brutal honesty. The type of honesty that Shuichi had wished for from him, but now refused to believe._

_“H-- What? But, Miu-”_

_“She’s dead too. They both died.”_

_Shuichi needs to take a large breath to stabilize himself where he stood. The horror and repulsiveness of it all comes rushing at him all at once, “Did you see who did it!? Wh-Who was with you!?”_

_“ I_ know _who did it, however I have a hunch…” The rest of his words fade, his train of thought drifting. His avatar was searching above him._

_Shuichi follows his eyes towards the corner of the salon, where Kokichi’s gaze has landed. Hanging from the ceiling was an object, colored so closely to the wallpaper that it was basically invisible upon first glance. Kokichi’s eyes avert from it almost as quickly as they land on the object, however the raven-haired teen finds his gaze lingering on it for longer than it should have. Has that… always been there?_

_“What is that?” The detective whispers, suddenly afraid of being heard._

_If Kokichi knew the answer, he did nothing to show it. His previous, childishly annoying exterior snaps back almost instantly. Shuichi knew that it was overcompensating for something. Kokichi wanted the detective to notice the camera, but he didn’t want to say it out loud._

_“Welp, we better get going, Shumai!” The detective couldn’t help but cringe slightly at the nickname, “People are waiting for you, you know!”_

_Weren’t they always?_

_Stumbling, Shuichi runs to the phone, missing the first time he attempted to grab it out of pure nerves. His grip on the telephone was shaky, anxious and disheartened. He knew what he was about to wake up to. Not one, but_ two _dead bodies. He needed a second to recollect himself, to mentally prepare for the investigation, to stabilize his breathing before being thrust into another situation where the entirety of the class trial lay squarely on his shoulders._

_He glances at the camera in the corner of the room. Somebody was watching him._

_“Say, Shuichi, let me help you out with the investigation, yeah?” Kokichi asks him. There’s a glint in his avatar’s eyes, a hidden sentiment which was only visible to Shuichi Saihara. He wants the detective to say yes. He wants Shuichi to work with him._

_“S-Sure, Kokichi.” He answers before he is fully able to process what he was saying._

_“Oh, also-- one last thing?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“How well do you know_ **_morse code?_ ** _”_

_-=+=-_

_Breathe in…. Bre…….breathe in………. Breathe out……_

_Breathe ou- breathe in breathe in breathe in breathe out breathe in breathe breathe breathe_

Tenko can’t do it. She can't choke down oxygen properly. The only thing keeping her from collapsing to the floor was her titanium grip against the podium. Death looms over her, casting a shadow over the Aikido Master, darkening any foreseeable future.

They were _guessing_ who the culprit was.

They were about to put their lives on the line, over a meer _assumption._

The trial grounds had come to a still and restless silence as the last remaining classmate, the indecisive Kaito, finally circled in on an answer. He presses a button, presses on somebody’s icon and votes for their death, before releasing a nervous, shaky exhale. There’s no denying he’s terrified, with the amount of sweat bucketing down his forehead and the way he refuses to meet anybody’s eyes. Maki was similar in the sense that she wouldn’t look at anybody. Even the Ultimate Assassin, with her steely expressions and unmoving demeanor, was beginning to show signs of alarm. She chewed at her thumbnail, tapping her foot excessively against the podium.

Tenko couldn’t see much of Shuichi’s face, as it was tilted so far to the floor that his dark hair flopped over it. His shoulders are jolting, his body racking with guilt as he repeatedly mutters “ _i’m sorry i’m sorry i’m sorry”._ Maybe it was to his classmates, for letting them down. Maybe it was to Kaede, for breaking his promise. But nonetheless, he was convinced that he'd killed them all. Even before they learned who the real blackened was, Shuichi has convinced himself that he, personally, has let all of his classmates die.

Himiko had been biting so anxiously at her bottom lip that it was beginning to bleed, so grinded and raw that Tenko couldn’t look at it for long before becoming nauseous. Her breathing was sporadic, less so than Tenko’s but still infrequent enough that it was worrisome. Her watering eyes stared directly at the Aikido Master, searching desperately for some sort of reassurance, reaching and grasping for comfort from her friend. Tenko would not return her gaze. The brunette wasn’t sure if she _could_ lift her head from where it was frozen. She couldn’t look her in the eyes. She’s failed her. She’s _killed_ her.

“Announcement!” The screen blares, causing the classroom to flinch. Here we go.

A terrifically massive flatscreen emerges from the ceiling, beginning its slow descent into the courtroom. 

Tenko could feel her heart beating against her ribcage, almost as if it was begging to be let out, pleading to be ripped from her chest and set free. Inhale. Exhale. Do something. Black dances in the corner of her vision. She’s about to pass out. Her hands are clenching, her teeth gritted, tears and snot running shamelessly down her face. She’s not sure what she _wants_ to see on that board; every option seemed awful and incorrect.

Their pixelated icons begin to file one-by-one onto the screen, followed quickly by the red tallies. Those dreadful, burning red tallies.

 **Two votes for Himiko Yumeno.** The mage muffles a sob, her closed mouth sealing any noise emitted. Now that she knows she’s failed, it is completely up to chance what the outcome of this trial will be.

 **Two votes for Tenko Chabashira.** The Aikido Master cringes in slight disturbance. Despite repeatedly shouting and pleading for her own innocence, two of her classmates still believed she had murdered someone. Unpalatable betrayal floats on top of the sinking anxiety already nestled in her stomach.

And finally, racking in a total of four votes and winning over the majority, was the deceased Ultimate Entomologist. **Four votes for Gonta Gokuhara.**

To her right, she hears Kokichi release a massive breath. He’s looking upwards with the slightest bit of tension in his jaw, gulping repeatedly as he waits for the verdict. The rest of Tenko’s classmates have collectively inhaled, holding onto their breathes, waiting with pointed eyes and silent prayers for Monokuma’s approval. 

“Please be right,” Kaito shutters, eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at the final results, “ _Please_ be right.”

The dreaded slot machine emerges, once more _painfully_ slowly, and positions itself high above the room. The wheel begins to turn, flicking over the pixelated avatars until it targets Gonta. With every spin it makes, it emits a shrill ding that stabs at Tenko’s ears. Monokuma normally was bouncing at the edge of his seat, antsy to begin his marvelous executions, however now he just sat. Almost as if all autonomy had been removed from him, as if he was nothing but a normal, stupid teddy bear. He doesn’t respond to the slot machine, and does not comment on the overwhelming uneasiness of the room. His absence only further twists the knife in Tenko’s stomach.

“ _Please,_ ” The brunette prays into her violently trembling hands. She doesn’t know who is listening, but she speaks it into existence anyways, “ _Please, please, please don’t let us die here.”_

The electronic pointer lands on Gonta, and a bright chime plays. ‘Gokuhara!’, the screen blinks, overly exuberant and cruelly joyous for such a despairing situation. The pause was excruciating, the silence deafening. An almost chilling wave of complete stillness slivers itself through Tenko’s spine. A moment of quiet. Of pure terror. 

The class of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles have all turned horrifyingly unmoving as they stared, mortified, at the slot machine. Maybe it wasn’t moving because they got it wrong. Maybe, the pause was so painstakingly long because Gonta _wasn’t_ the blackened, and Monokuma was relishing in their reactions before dropping the bombshell. Before unleashing the gunfire. Before killing them all. 

“Rule fifteen, remember?” Kokichi asks the bear, sickeningly sweet. It’s a subtle threat, a slick jab to remind him _you can’t break your own rules_. The bear returns nothing.

The machine rattles as if something was clogging it. Tenko caught Maki visibly flinching at the sudden, unexpected noise. The rest of the class unconsciously lean forward, squirming in aching anticipation. 

As Kokichi is about to open his mouth again, another whirring noise hisses from the contraption. This time it’s low, preparing for something. 

With a rumble and a triumphant fanfare, the machine bursts into confetti and monocoins. It bounces for a moment, dancing in frivolous light and tacky coloring, before immediately returning to its original, lacking state. 

Silence. 

The students dare not to break it, stunned beyond words.

“We- Did we-?” Kaito cuts through the overbearing hush, his roaring voice matching the volume of a marching band. The astronaut does a double take, turning back towards the machine with his eyes wide in disbelief and shock.

_Does this mean…?_

Before Tenko could finish her thought, both of Kaito’s fists punch upwards towards the sky.

“Yes!” He shouts airily, “W-We _did it!”_

The courtroom is alive once more, excited chatter and heavy sighs of pure relief floods through the room, overjoyed blabbering and waving hands as her classmates rush to greet each other and cry elatedly. Over them _not having to kill anybody_. Kaito immediately runs over to the shocked Ultimate Assassin, who was anticipating his upcoming hug and had recoiled slightly. However, as soon as they embrace, it seems she willingly drops some of her shield and accepts the comfort, allowing him to twirl her around in triumph.

K1-B0 joins the practically-sobbing Himiko (out of happiness or relief was lost to Tenko), supportively assuring her and rubbing circles on her back before being ushered away into another animated and ecstatic conversation involving Maki and the Ultimate Astronaut. Tsumugi was also crying, rather quietly, her mouth twitching upwards. Like she was making herself smile.

Shuichi looks as if he was about to pass out, the intensity of his situation and the wave of sudden relief practically knocking him out of the podium. Kokichi’s facial expression doesn’t compare to the bliss of his classmate’s, in fact it’s basically the same smile he always has on, but it seems that not even the Ultimate Supreme Leader can contain himself from dancing and spinning in his spot.

Tenko’s knees buckle from under her and she is just barely able to catch herself against the podium. Slowly, still reeling from shock, she sits herself down, curling underneath the counter, and just stares. Stares outwards.

_Did that… really happen?_

For once in her life her thoughts come to her in slow motion. She has to blink a few times before everything truly settles in, take a few labored breaths before the reality begins to seep through her body.

She’s alive. 

She’s _alive_.

A rather unattractive wheeze comes out from her throat. She can’t help but laugh. Everything leading up to that moment had felt so unreal, so outrageously cruel and petrifying that the verdict being correct just seemed fictitious. By all means, voting for the correct blackened should have been a solemn, serious moment. All three of the previous class trials had incredibly dignified voting sessions, conducted in a courtly manner. But presently, after _guessing_ for the culprit and voting _correctly_ , she just couldn’t help but giggle hysterically. It was flippant, for sure, but it slowly began to release the inordinate amounts of anxiety that had cooped up in her chest and clawed its way through her system.

It all seemed so bittersweet. They had lost Miu and Gonta, so she should feel unhappy. But she just couldn’t stop crying out of joy. 

Tenko hears footsteps approaching. As she looks over to her right, she notices the Ultimate Mage searching for her, before looking down and noticing the Aikido Master on the floor. They share a dorky grin, an elated smile, before collapsing into each other’s arms.

“Holy crap _._ ” Tenko whispers, to which Himiko replies with an airy laugh muffled by the brunette’s broad shoulders, “ _Holy crap.”_

“Holy _shit!!_ ” Himiko echoes, removing herself from Tenko’s embrace just to look her in her earthy green eyes.

“Ah-- _L-Language_!! ” Tenko mockingly gasps, hyper giggles still swimming through her body.

“I’m in shock!!” Himiko replies, eyes and smile still wide despite the rather serious statement she had just made.

As they fall back into the deep hug, Tenko can’t help but release a quiet whimper. This was everything she wanted. To be able to laugh and cry and embrace Himiko again. This was perhaps one of the _worst_ days of her entire life, just the paralysing fear over possibly losing somebody she really cares about alone was enough to send her into despair. Now she had another day to live, another day to live with _Himiko._ She thanks whoever is listening to her thoughts, because surely _somebody_ must be out there to answer her prayers. Thank you for sparing her. Thank you for sparing _them_. 

Thank you. **Thank you.**

“I hated that.” Himiko replies rather honestly, voice high and wavering with emotion, “I-I know I said I was going to move forward… B-But I just need a nap…”

“The good thing is that as soon as this is all over, you can go right to sleep!!” It appears that cheering up Himiko has replenished some of Tenko’s lost vigour, “A-And then in the morning, you get to wake up to some nice breakfast!!”

The mage’s only response is a heavy exhale as she sinks further into the embrace, relishing in the comfortable silence they reach soon after. There’s chatting in the distance, of course, but they have managed to block out Monokuma and his Monokubs and their classmate’s general antics. They waited for moments to pass, just sitting there and reflecting.

The silence was ruined by more footsteps approaching, lively and bouncy, a bold purple peering around the podium they hid under.

“Heyyyy guys!” Kokichi says, shaky relief just barely hidden in his tone, “What’s going on over here? Nothing _too_ frisky, I hope? No means no!”

Himiko reveals herself from where she was buried in Tenko’s shoulder as they both reply with agitated groans, “Nyeh… You always ruin the moment…”

“That’s my job! Also, totally random question that kinda just popped up out of nowhere-- Who’ja vote for?”

Tenko scowls under her breath, greeted by the brief realization that she was _annoyed_ at him. And if she’s _annoyed_ at him, that means things were beginning to go back to normal. She was able to pinpoint the reason for her agitation instead of becoming emotional for no apparent reason. This was good. It means things were getting better.

But that aside, she actually was quite pissed at him.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about Miu, _degenerate_ .” She hisses. There’s a flicker of something in his eyes, and if she was even the slightest bit sympathetic towards him she might have even labeled it as _regret_ . However, currently, she hates the guy. She tries to build up the willpower to stand up, wishing to gain the higher ground, however her legs are still weak and collapse under her, “A-And why do _you_ need to know?”

He shrugs, “Just testing a theory, that’s all!”

It was incredibly hasty of him to be asking these rather invasive questions, especially considering how high stakes the last hour was. Kokichi wasn’t allowing either of them any means of a break, instead shoving his nose where it didn’t belong.

Tenko heavily debates whether or not she should tell him she voted for Gonta. It had happened only seconds ago, her finger hovering apprehensively over his picture. Through the blur of her own tears, she remembers having to press on his icon twice, almost as if the system didn’t _want_ her to vote for him. But he had been the _correct_ answer, so surely telling Kokichi wouldn’t do her any harm? Did he have any ulterior motives besides investigating who voted for the entomologist? 

If he was trying to figure out who voted for who, maybe she should join, because she distinctly recalls _two_ people voting for her. 

“Gonta.” She spits. Himiko shuffles in her arms.

Kokichi gives a mockingly stern nod, like a soldier to a sergeant, “And you, Himiko?”

The mage doesn’t answer, only furrows her brows in an almost melancholy irritation. She doesn’t have to say anything for both Kokichi and Tenko to know that she voted for herself. Cannonballs of deep sympathy barrel themselves into the Aikido Masters gut. For only the briefest of moments, she had forgotten Himiko had done that. It only causes her to hug the mage even tighter to her chest.

“Okie-dokie, good to-”

Maki appears from the other side, and quickly Himiko removes herself from Tenko’s embrace, “What are you all doing? The execution is about to begin.”

“E-Execution?” Tenko bumbles, words tumbling out of her mouth, “Who are they executing?”

“It’s some stupid AI Monokuma whipped together at the last minute. They’re basically destroying a computer.” Maki looks down at her thumb, which was still blooming with blood from when she had so anxiously bit at it. She rather gauchely wipes it against her already blood-red shirt, “He’s pissed.”

“Nyeh… he _looked_ angry.” Himiko agrees. Thinking about making the monochrome teddy bear mad sends a shiver down Tenko’s spine. It seems that had already been achieved, however, considering his silence as they revealed the verdict. Maybe things weren’t supposed to be this way.

Maki looks up from her shirt and spends a quick minute staring directly at Himiko, expression unreadable. Kokichi has buggered off to disturb some other classmates, and Tenko could hear him going to ask Kaito who he voted for before being abruptly told to buzz off. It seems they, like the Aikido Master, were not too pleased with the supreme leader admitting to the murder plan used to manipulate such a sweetheart into strangling Miu.

The staring contest between the silent pair reaches a conclusion as Maki tilts her head to the side.

“Did you do it?” The assassin asks.

Himiko flinches, sitting up on her knees, “Do… Do wha-”

“Don’t play dumb. Did you kill Gonta?”

This didn’t feel like a conversation Tenko should be a part of. Almost all of the Aikido Master was yelling ‘ _of course she didn’t, she’s too cute to do that!! like a tiny flower’,_ but the other, softer voice reminded her that she _did_ just confess to it. What is the worst answer? That Himiko _did_ kill Gonta, for seemingly no reason other than to leave, or Himiko _didn’t_ kill him and took the blame simply to get Tenko out of hot water? If it was the latter…. _Why?_ Wasn’t _Tenko_ supposed to be the one who sacrificed herself blindly?

_No need to think about sacrifices, now. It’s all over, you can relax. Or, maybe-- Just calm a little, but still stay on guard. Still make sure Himiko is okay. Or--_

“I…” Himiko stammers, mouth repetitively opening and closing, “I mean…”

“So, you didn’t. I thought so,” It was slightly alarming how the Ultimate Assassin could tell. Perhaps she knew what a murderer looks like. Knew the psychological toll it took, had memorized how the stress of taking a living being’s life had affected the appearance and demeanor, “That’s why I didn’t vote for you _._ ”

It’s clear she intentionally kept that part out until Kokichi had left the conversation. The Ultimate Mage bites once more at her already gnawed lips until Maki finishes boring into her soul.

“I… kinda understand you taking the fall for somebody. That part was… acceptable, I guess.” There’s a story behind that statement, but knowing Maki it would most definitely take three decades and a trained professional to pry it from her, “But don’t pull that again. I mean it. We could have all gotten in trouble.”

“Yeah… I-I’m really sorry…” Himiko mutters. It’s as sincere as it could get, her eyes glassy and tears threatening to spill over again.

“And don’t expect the others to understand so easily.” Maki adds.

Tenko feels a ripple of energy pulse through her, one that isn’t adrenaline or bone-crushing anxiety, “If they won’t accept Himiko, I’ll throw ‘em into next Wednesday!!”

Maki releases oxygen from her nose, her own muted form of laughter, before bluntly telling them to join the others in watching this make-shift execution that Monokuma had pulled from his ass. Grasping from what she could hear, it wasn’t as emotionally ruining as the previous executions, as nobody was retching in revulsion or screaming in terror. The only noise she could hear was a rather flippant laugh from Kokichi and K1-B0 muttering something along the lines of ‘ _I can’t understand how a teddy bear could give birth to THAT…’,_ which does nothing but stem her curiosity.

“...Do you wanna join them?” Himiko mutters from Tenko’s shoulder. As a reply, the Aikido Master does nothing but wordlessly shake her head, “Yeah, me neither.”

She’ll rejoin with the group later. However, for now, she was content with just holding Himiko. Let the world run without her, for just a moment. Let her be still and happy and at peace with her surroundings. Let her embrace a new day, despite the onslaught of problems she was bound to encounter. 

Let her breathe. Let her breathe, and be alive.

_Breathe in…. Breathe out._

-=+=-

“Hey gang,” Kaito begins as soon as the elevator door closes behind them, “Let’s all stop at the dining hall before we head to sleep, yeah? I think we need to discuss what the _fuck_ just happened in there.”

Everybody releases a general murmur of agreement, however Shuichi noticeably shuffles uncomfortably. Similar to how Himiko and Tenko were treated while descending into the courtroom, the class has created an invisible barrier between themselves and the detective. Of course, the students were still fairly aware of the blue and red pair’s fallibility, however Tenko and Himiko were too busy chatting (releasing some nerves-- so rather hysterically) to each other in a corner.

Shuichi waits for the agreements to die down so he can speak softly to the astronaut, “Actually, Kaito, if it’s alright-- I might just head back to my dorm. I-I’m really tired.”

For a brief moment, Maki gives him the most deadpan stare imaginable, “You _do_ understand that we need an explanation from _you_ , right?” 

“Sorry, I just- Maybe tomorrow.”

The elevator falls into strained silence as the crew stare at Shuichi with haunting eyes. They were disappointed in him, for sure, the amount of tension weighing down the atmosphere and dragging the vibe down with it.

“Oh, _come on,_ Shuichi! Don't you think we deserve _some_ sort of explanation!?” Kaito was clearly talking about the detective’s absence from the trial, how he had left the rest of their classmates to fend for themselves, “You nearly got us _all_ killed!”

“Lay off him,” Tenko strikes back, conversation with Himiko having been ended by the dim mood, “He’s got us out of _every other_ trial!!”

“Well this one was _pretty close-_ ”

“Oh, and what did _you_ do exactly-?”

“-I did more than _you_ did-!”

“Guys,” Maki cuts in sternly, as if interrupting two children arguing over a toy. Both Tenko and Kaito slink back, returning to tense silence.

“Nyeh… I think we should still go to the dining hall… I’ve got stuff I need to explain.” Himiko mutters. She’s met with a nod from the group. Everybody knows what she’s talking about.

The elevator door opens and they are met with a rush of fresh air, the sound of running water flooding in through their ears. Shuichi is the first one out the door, practically speed-walking to get to the courtyard. Tenko wasn’t sure if it was the leftover nerves from that horrible trial, or the nerves from Kaito practically giving him death glares. She understands that his anger is reasonable, _she’s_ pretty angry too, but the best thing to do is just get some rest and address it in the morning. This dining hall thing would only agitate everybody.

They reach the courtyard and prepare to split up. Nobody has said anything to Shuichi, too tired to force him into tagging along.

“Nighty-night!” Say Kokichi. They’re letting him leave, too, because they would undoubtedly be getting _no_ information from him.

As the remainder of the group turn towards the dining hall, Tenko notices Shuichi staring at her. He has turned around again, pausing in a way that made it look like he was thinking. Kokichi stops just moments after him, noticing the detective was lagging behind.

Shuichi takes a few steps forward, maintaining his distance but still close enough that only Tenko could hear what he was about to say next, “I’ll see you **early next morning** _,_ a-alright?”

 _Early next morning._ The phrase tumbles in her brain for a few moments. Before she can ask what exactly he meant by that, Himiko calls back to her.

“Tenko?” She yells, “Are you coming?”

“Y-Yeah!”

She flips back around and Shuichi is walking, joining the bouncy Ultimate Supreme Leader on his rather suspicious walk to the dorms. What an odd pair. What an odd thing to tell her. It felt cryptic, almost, as if she was being let in on a secret that only he, Kokichi, and herself knew. Early in the morning? I mean, duh, it’s always early in the morning when the Monokuma announcement begins.

_Could he mean…?_

“Hey… you alright?” Himiko appears next to her and Tenko nearly jumps in the air, “Do you wanna go to sleep..?”

“No! No, I’m fine. Let’s do this!!”

As they walk to the dining hall, the Aikido Master can’t help but flash one last mischievous look towards the detective.

_Alright, Shuichi. 2 AM it is._

-=+=-

> FINAL RESULTS LOADING……

> LOAD COMPLETE

> client.doubleexecution…….. 1%

> client.yumenohimiko……… 4%

> client.momotakaito……... 5%

> client.chabashiratenko…….. 29%

> client.gokuharagonta……... 61%

> APPLICATION SUCCESSFUL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i knew you guys could do it!!! :D
> 
> i did have every other ending planned out, so if you're curious about any of them drop a comment below and i'll answer :)
> 
> (edit: all alternate endings are now in the comments!!)
> 
> thank you all so much for your lovely comments and kudos, especially with the last chapter. i was incredibly self conscious about my writing and knowing you guys enjoyed it was so amazing. also it was nice seeing everybody stressed out in the comment section LMAOO


	21. if you think this is funny, then you should just bite your tongue and choke on it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> perhaps the most baffling 2 AM encounter yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i call this chapter, "WAY too much exposition gets dropped all at once", featuring yours truly with help from the notes app which i used to scan a photo for this chapter
> 
> also wow this update was quick lmao i have no sense of what time is!!!!

Maybe Tenko should consider napping, because the lack of sleep she was getting these past few days was considerably alarming.

She spent hours just passing time in her dorm; bouncing on her bed, making some uncoordinated doodles, playing with her toy nunchucks until she whacked herself in the head. Nervous energy was balling itself in her stomach, and so to remedy it she would throw her legs in vicious kicks and punch at her pillows with brash screams. She had learned recently that the dormitories _were_ in fact sound-proof, so she could shriek to her heart's desire without disturbing her sleeping classmates. 

2:30 AM.

Shuichi had not given her a specific time, she just kinda _assumed_ it would have to be at two in the morning. That’s when all of their other meetups were, however they were typically _around_ that time, not directly on it. First she told herself she’d get there early, around 1:45 AM, just so she could assess for danger or anybody hiding to kill her. Then she let that pass, telling herself she’ll arrive right on the dot at 2:00 AM. And then she got so worried about the entire mess that she skipped past the arranged time until she reached thirty minutes later, where she now sits on the floor of her dorm, sulking in her pajamas. 

Does she trust Shuichi? 

The broad concept of trusting a _man_ seemed flawed to the Aikido Master, as it was basically everything she stood against and vowed to destroy. She’s given this detective so many chances, and has allowed herself to become vulnerable when around him to the extent that her Master would deem their relationship abominable. She can’t remember the last time she had willingly called a man her _friend,_ as it had been so long since any male had been considered honorable in her eyes. The boys in her town were vile. She’s seen what they can do to defenseless girls, has witnessed the aftermath. That was basically part of her training, hunting down those who have done harm. She was _taught_ to despise them. She was _raised_ that way.

And on top of all of that, Gonta’s murderer is still at large. Because it _couldn’t_ have been Himiko, and it for sure wasn’t Tenko. For all she knows, Shuichi could be luring her into the kitchen to take the other half of the Cut-No-Cut scissors and slit her neck open. 

If she wasn’t spurred on by trust, then surely it was curiosity. There was no denying how suspicious Shuichi was that last trial. This impromptu meeting must be about that, right?

Why would it be about that? What did she have to do with it? Would Himiko be there, also? Or was this just her and Shuichi? If Himiko was going, then Tenko would be much less resistant to attending.

Maybe she should just _not_ go. But then she seems like a coward!! And Tenko Chabashira is NOT a coward.

Forcing herself upwards with a mighty heave, she combs her fingers through her mangled short hair, braces herself, and then struts out the door. She makes sure to shut it gently behind her to avoid waking her classmates.

_Lock it, idiot!! Remember what happened last time??_

Of course she does. How could she forget becoming so naive she let her door stay open? How could she forget when those Cut-No-Cut scissors went missing, causing her to go into a mild panic as she frantically looked for them, in fear of them being used maliciously? How could she forget when they appeared two days later, lodged into the throat of one of her former classmates, _mangling Gonta’s throat and creating a crime so unsolvable that she_ **_still doesn’t know who-_ **

Tenko swings around, grabs her keys from where she left them on her nightstand, swaggers back out the door, and locks it firmly behind her. With her keys shoved into her pajama pant’s pocket, she begins her silent stride to the kitchen.

She’s not sure where this hollow calm is coming from. Maybe it was some cruel sense of regularity, her body becoming chilled as it mixes with anxiety and exhaustion. There’s no doubt she’s tired, her eyes were drooping and her blinks were much longer than normal. She was also _used_ to this paranoia by now, an awful thing to say but bitterly true. Either that, or she’s become _so_ anxious and panic-stricken that her body has completely numbed itself in defense. 

_But that doesn’t matter, because I'm strong! I can beat up anybody, just give me a time and a place!! And also preferably a short-distance weapon!!!!_

A phantom of a frown gently crosses her lips. Maybe she should stop thinking about weapons. Because that leads to scissors, to shot put balls and katanas, to suspended sickles. She despised that damn sickle. It’s _his_ fault she’s like this. All anxious and nervous and…. _Changed_ . Changed from the teenager she was when she entered this killing game. Or maybe that was Monokuma’s fault. Or her own fault. Or Kaede’s fault or Shuichi’s fault or Korekiyo’s _sister_ ’s fault or….

As she skips blindly through the dining hall and approaches the kitchen, she’s surprised to find it silent. She was expecting to hear some sort of shuffling from the Ultimate Detective. Was he not there yet? No. That wasn’t possible, it was 2:30 AM. He was always there before her, even if she showed up at three instead of two. If he wasn’t in there, that means he didn’t show up. Great. So much for that. If she had _any_ trust left for him, it’s gone now. Evaporated.

Unknowingly, and perhaps a little too ambitiously, she steps into the kitchen.

The door is shut rather sharply behind her. Shuichi was hiding behind it, slyly crouching in his navy PJ’s, waiting for her to enter.

Tenko can feel the adrenaline she had been missing suddenly return tenfold, racing and slamming against her stomach. With a shaky step she reaches for the doorknob, to which the detective rather boldly blocks, “Open the door.”

“Don’t body slam him.” He begs softly.

“B-body slam-?”

Kokichi appears seemingly out of nowhere. With his tiny frame, he was easily able to sliver himself into one of the kitchen counters, hiding away until his dramatic reveal, “Heya, Karate Kid!!”

Disregarding Shuichi’s advice, Tenko yanks Kokichi by the arm and flips him over her shoulder.

“Oh, god-- _Kokichi!?!”_ Tenko exclaims firstly in horror and then in unbridled disgust.

Shuichi blanches, blubbering out of concern as he reaches to assist the purple teen off of the floor. The Ultimate Supreme Leader, like the other two students in the kitchen, is also wearing his pajamas, however they’re significantly larger than his body and are slipping off his shoulder. His smile is wide and stretched across his face despite the dazed and rather pained look in his eyes.

“Tenko, _why!?”_ Is all Shuichi can muster, volume never surpassing a yell-whisper.

The brunette buffers for a second, before returning with, “Wh- He snuck up on me-!”

“Ssh!” Shuichi tries to interject.

Tenko’s eyes widen in a way that just screams ‘ _oh, you’ve done it now’_ , nose flaring and fists brandished, “ _Don’t_ shush me, _degenerate!!_ ”

“Ow… Could you two keep it down?” Kokichi rubs his head, leaning himself against the metallic kitchen counter, “You’re gonna give me even _more_ brain damage.”

Whether or not he was being serious or simply used his injury as means for keeping them silent, it works. Tenko snaps her mouth shut, too angry for words, and maybe, _just maybe,_ the slightest bit remorseful. Shuichi silences because he genuinely doesn’t want to give Kokichi a headache.

“ _Why are you_ -” After remembering they were supposed to be quiet, Tenko quickly changes her volume, “Why is _he_ here!?”

“W-We’ll explain everything, I just-”

“No.” She whisper-shouts gruffly, barely sparing the pair another glance, “I’m heading back.”

“Wait- Tenko, we need your help!”

“ _My_ help?” It piques her interest, of course. However, she can’t help the bitterness that escapes through her tone, “I’m not interested in joining your _clown crusade!!”_

“Ooh, ‘clown crusade’. I like that! Has a nice ring to it.” Kokichi nods, his words slurring as he recovers from the attack. His sentence trails off as he hums ‘clown crusade, clown crusade’ to himself in a childlike tune.

Shuichi’s lips thin in distaste, “Tenko, we need your help. You need to _promise_ us that you won’t say anything.”

Tenko scoffs, “Uh?? Absolutely not?? Who knows what you two degenerates are planning!?”

“Nobody!” Shuichi replies, voice almost reaching his normal speaking volume however he speedily recovers, “And that’s why you need to keep this a secret, please?”

“ _Why were you hiding!?”_ She whisper-interrogates, “And _why_ are we whispering!?”

“Well, we-”

“I hid in that counter and waited for hours!” Despite Kokichi’s happy tone, he sounded rather annoyed with that fact, “On a side note: I’m pretty sure I discovered Narnia!”

“Why would you do that!?”

“To fight the evil White Witch…? C’mon, Tenko, the plot was pretty obvious…”

Tenko emits a heavy sigh, “No, idiot, I mean-- why were you hiding?? For _hours_??”

“So the cameras wouldn’t catch us all coming in at the same time.” Shuichi responds.

The Aikido Master’s mouth hangs open for a second, before clamping closed. _Cameras?_ Did she hear that correctly? She couldn’t remember Monokuma or any of the Monokubs explaining anything about cameras. Maybe it was something she missed during the opening ceremony, which makes sense considering how terrified she was as the rules were explained to her. She practically blacked out.

Was this a fact that everybody was aware of but her? Did they have to live with being watched?? She wasn’t sure how well she was taking this information, because _somebody_ must be watching her, and there was a lot of evidence that pointed towards somebody watching her _right now_. 

Suddenly paranoid, Tenko snaps her head in all four corners of the room. As much as she squinted, she couldn’t seem to find any sort of recording device.

“There aren’t any in here,” Shuichi answers for her, “But there are some outside, so that’s why we need to keep our voices down.”

When did he have the time to check for cameras? Again, maybe this is something that everybody knew, and she was too ignorant and forgetful to remember. Did she skip a meeting? Was she uninvited to the lecture where they learned about the exact locations of where the cameras were being hidden? Of course, this _was_ the Ultimate Detective she was talking about, so him being able to locate the hidden cameras wasn’t exactly ridiculous. Also, Monokuma had to be watching them _somehow_. Of course there are cameras. God, she’s dumb.

A shrill ding bounces around the kitchen, causing all three of them to flinch. It’s the tea kettle, one that was apparently boiling long before Tenko had arrived in the kitchen. Shuichi quite awkwardly slithers over to the device, holding it up in polite nervousness.

“Tea?” He offers.

It’s a peace treaty. By accepting the tea, she’s accepting that she’ll keep quiet about what he’s about to explain to her. She’ll blindly trust him and this… this _tiny grape menace_ to tell her the truth. Which, if she was speaking _her_ truth, she doesn’t trust _either_ of them. Shuichi had thrown the class trial, refusing to participate and endangering the lives of all of his classmates through his absence. Kokichi was… well, _Kokichi._ A known liar. Somebody who actively avoided the honest truth purely for the sake of being entertained. This could be one of his extensively planned out web of lies, his genius evil scheme that started with him manipulating the (let’s be honest) emotionally weak Ultimate Detective.

Shuichi could very well be his new Gonta. _Tenko_ could be the next Miu.

She was able to infiltrate Angie’s cultish student council by blending in. Maybe that’s what she should do now? Play both sides, just so she knows all of the information?

She would be stupid and gullible to accept it. Foolish to believe that men could be anything but deceitful and unreliable. Past Tenko would hate who she had become, so…. _naive._

“Ffffff……” The word stung on her lips. Looking at Kokichi’s stupid grin was making it so much harder to spit out, “-fffffffffiiiinnneeee………”

Shuichi’s smile lights up the room. He’s relieved. It seems this is something that has been weighing on his conscience for a while, making him nervous. Surely _he_ couldn’t have horrible intentions…. It was mainly Kokichi she was worried about. That lying, grape-scented, obnoxious, pathetic, loathsome, oompa-loompa looking little _degenerate_.

The tea that Shuichi hands out to the trio is warm in Tenko’s hands. It’s comforting, in some odd sort of way. She waits for the other two to drink from their own cups before she even begins thinking about drinking her own, ensuring that the water used to make the tea was not in fact poisoned. Judging by how quickly Kokichi guzzles his, which was piping hot and straight from the kettle, it’s safe to assume her tea was okay.

“Alright, um… where do I start…” Shuichi ponders, cradling his mug in his hands, “Well, I guess I’ll start by explaining… what happened in the trial.”

“Oh, so you’re going to explain that to _me_ and not the people who actually care? Like Kaito?” Tenko scorns, her next words muffled by her taking a sip of tea, “Typical _degenerate_ behavior, being all _secretive_ and _hiding things..._ ”

“Aw, man! She totally figured us out, Shuichi! Better end this quick before she realizes her tea is poisoned!” Kokichi retorts.

“Hold your breath and suffocate.” Tenko deadpans.

“Okay!!” Kokichi replies chirpily, before taking a large gulp of air.

As Shuichi sighs through his nose, the Aikido Master inconspicuously sets her tea on the countertop next to her. Now that her own paranoid delusions have been verbalized, confirmed by the least trustworthy person in the room, she’ll pass on drinking any more.

“I guess I first have to explain when I started working with Kokichi,” Shuichi looks over at the purple boy, who was still holding his breath, “Uh, you weren’t there, but after everybody had logged out in the Virtual World, we were the only one’s left. We established that we were being watched, so we decided that morse code would be the best way to communicate without raising suspicion.”

“Oh, so _that_ was what that was!?” Tenko whisper-yells, turning to Kokichi, “That was so annoying!!”

The Ultimate Supreme Leader, cheeks puffed up from holding his breath, nods.

“Oh, yeah, uh… sorry about that,” Shuichi apologizes cheekily, “Um, anyways, during the investigation he sorta told me about this… hunch he had. And considering everything, it just sorta made sense.”

“Considering what?” Tenko asks the detective, and then turns to Kokichi to repeat, “Considering what?”

Kokichi shrugs, still childishly holding in oxygen. 

“I can very clearly see you breathing through your nose,” Shuichi says. Kokichi releases the breath with a prolonged _pfffpffp_ sound, “He told me the trial was rigged-- Er, _going_ to be rigged. The whole point of it was to create a crime so ambiguous that _anybody_ could have done it…” He tenses, preparing for a reaction when he says, “The whole point was the frame _you_ , Tenko.”

The world pauses for a hot second. The kitchen suddenly felt unbelievably cold, like an icebox against her bare arms. Iced sweat began dripping down the back of her neck, exposed and vulnerable. What did he just say? Was he joking? Is this some sort of sick, cruel _joke_ ? He _knows_ what happened during the seance, he _knows_ how frightened she had been of somebody killing her. It was the most malicious prank she could think of, telling her that somebody had _intentionally_ framed her for another classmate’s murder. Tried to kill her. Somebody had _tried to kill her again_.

Why does this keep happening? Why why why _why why why why why why why whywhywhywhywhy!?_

“Tenko? You alright?” Shuichi waves his hand gently in front of her face, snapping her violently out of her own head, “I know it’s-”

She’s not about to cry in front of _two men_ , “How dare you.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“Is this funny to you!?” She spits, arms hugging her sides, “You _know_ that-- You were _there when--_ ”

“This- I would _never_ joke about this. Really,” He worriedly swallows a sip of piping hot tea, wincing at the heat, “You just… Have to believe me.”

“I tooooold youuu,” Kokichi sings under his breath, which Shuichi scowls at. 

Tenko is way too upset to bother asking just what he meant by that. She grabs her abandoned cup of tea, dumps it into the sink, and begins her stomp towards the exit. _Stupid,_ Tenko thinks. _You’re such a stupid idiot for trusting them._ Now she’s panicking again, all because of _one untrustworthy sentence,_ a statement that might not even be true. It’s disquieting how easily she becomes angry. Before the killing game, her anger was manageable, her emotions clear and tranquil because of her training. Things were calm, _she_ was calm. And now she’s letting that training and discipline slip through her fingers. She’s weak. And pathetic. And needs to leave.

“That was pretty dumb of Himiko to take the fall, dontcha think?”

At Kokichi’s sentence she bluntly turns around, her face scrunched and lips pursed as if she had just sucked on a lemon. It wasn’t _off-topic_ , per say, however it did surprise her only slightly at how coarsely he mentioned it. Even Shuichi looked a little confused, his eyebrows furrowing in uncertainty. 

“I mean, _wow,_ Tenko! The entire trial gets rigged against you and _she’s_ the one to take the blame? Ouch!” He’s mocking her. That’s what this is.

Tenko takes the bait, and marches over to the kitchen counter he’s sitting on, “Why do you _bully_ her all the time!?”

“I thought we established this?” He asks, confusion clearly exaggerated, “It’s because I’m madly in love with her.”

The Aikido Master’s nostrils flare, face turning bright red, “You-- You’re not-- Hey!!”

“-And _because_ I am ever so madly in love with her, I was determined to destroy the trial from within! Y’know, unlike _some_ people, who would rather walk away.” He hums in her direction, as she flusters and ruffles, “Sad!”

“I am _not_ walking away from Himiko!! In fact, I’m doing the exact opposite!! I’ll punch whoever rigged the trial in the _face!!_ ” In the back of her brain, there’s a tiny voice telling her that she had just walked directly into Kokichi’s trap, but the rest of her crushes it down, “Shuichi!! Tell me who did it, right now!!”

“Yeah! Tell her, Shuichi!!” The Ultimate Supreme Leader kicks his legs over the side of the kitchen counter playfully, tugging his pajama shirt over his shoulder again as it was beginning to slip down.

Shuichi replies with an almost unreadable expression, a flustered look of ‘ _why do I have to tell her??’,_ before recomposing himself, “You-- You’re going to listen?”

“Yes!!”

“Okay. Then we believe that the mastermind is Tsumugi. She’s the one who killed Gonta.”

Noticing how Kokichi was smirking at her, waiting for her to say something irrational and prove him right, Tenko smothers the urge to react violently. Of course, she can’t help the unattractive frown that twitches on her face, the pure malice that stings behind her eyes, “....Go on…..”

Shuichi seemed slightly surprised by how patient she was being, fully expecting a monologue about why he was terrible, revolting, and the worst possible being on the planet for accusing such an innocent girl, “... Kokichi noticed her logging in out of nowhere as he was returning from the roof. It was timed perfectly after the estimated time Gonta was killed. She was nowhere near the parlor phone, and would have needed outside help or technology to leave like that. Her logout and login times were forged, which was slightly hinted at by Monotaro. When accessing the timetable, he mentioned that something went wrong.”

Tenko releases some sort of disgruntled noise, an affirming nod to tell him to continue. She’s having trouble believing it, but will not give Kokichi the satisfaction of an argument. She’ll listen to Shuichi’s dumb explanation, and then interpret it after he’s finished talking.

“... If we assume that the cleaning rag was soaked with water, she could have used it as some sort of barrier and then cleaned her hands off with it afterwards. Even if her arms were wet, all she needed to do was wear her jacket over them.”

She remembers Tsumugi taking off her jacket before entering the Virtual World. Tenko had thought it was because of the stifling heat of the room, but when she and Himiko had returned to the computer lab, her jacket was on again.

“And after your testimony about the last people in your dorm being Himiko and Tsumugi… it all just clicked. She could have easily snatched those scissors.”

“That’s not enough evidence to accuse somebody of murder. Of being the _mastermind._ ” Tenko grits as politely as she can.

“There’s one last thing.” The Ultimate Detective adds, rustling around his pajama pockets for something, “This is going to be destroyed as soon as we show it to you, so make sure you get a good look at it, alright?”

Tenko nods blankly. The paper that Shuichi hands to her is crumpled, torn directly from what can only be a school notebook, a list of letters quickly scribbled upon it. She has to move it directly in front of her face, waiting for her tired eyes to adjust before she could begin reading it.

(for those unable to view the photo: the paper writes RKRKATKMGKK. Next to it, the letters SHMK are circled. the letter T has a question mark underneath it.)

“What is this supposed to be??” She asks, glancing over it a few times.

Shuichi leans in closer, voice lowering even further than it already was, “It fell out of Tsumugi’s pocket, probably around when the seance ended.”

“This could mean anything.” Tenko protested.

“Yeah, come on! You _know_ she can’t read, Shuichi!” Kokichi teasingly shames.

“St-- Quit _harassing_ me, degenerate!! I’m _trying!!”_ To prove a point, she squints even harder, paper so close to her face her nose was practically touching it. Fifteen letters, all out of order and mismatched. She was never good at puzzles, always fairly terrible at determining the exact rule of order. She knows she’s not intelligent, and that’s why Kokichi hates working with her. They never got along, those two. The Ultimate Supreme leader was the textbook definition of “degenerate” in her eyes, and to him she was annoying and fairly stupid. It makes a little more sense for him to call upon the Ultimate Detective as his partner, rather than the overly eccentric Aikido Master with a fiery sense of justice and two fists that won’t quit.

Kokichi gets tired of her trying to determine what the answer was, and snatches the paper from her hands. Childishly, she grabs at it, attempting to obtain it back from his grubby little fingers, but he’s quick to dodge, “Too slow! Here, I’ll give you a hint. What was Amami’s first name?”

Her fists clench at her sides, “Rantaro.”

“Good! Aaand how about Akamatsu? What was hers?”

She notices Shuichi visibly harden at her name. Tenko can’t blame him, even thinking about her execution makes her shudder, “Kaede.”

“Hoshi?”

“Ryoma. I don’t see how-”

“Are you noticing any sort of pattern?” He holds up the paper again, the lettering clear even from that distance, “Wanna give it another shot?”

_Rantaro, Kaede, Ryoma… What was so important about them? What did they have to do with the letters on the…._

Her eyes narrow at the paper, and suddenly everything clicks. RKR. Those are the first three letters of the pattern, and they correspond with the first letters of each of their names. As she continued down the list, it seemed almost exactly correct. Kirumi, Angie…. The letter ‘T’ for some reason, but that had no correlation to the death order… Korekiyo, Miu, Gonta. The rest of the letters belonged to the first names of the survivors, or at least most of them. Kokichi, Kaito, Shuichi, Himiko, Maki, K1-B0. 

“I’m confused.” She admitted, “It’s… It got it right up to Angie-- I’m assuming this is the death order??”

She feels a tinge of pride when Shuichi nods, the detective then taking over, “Tsumugi is the only one missing from the list. And this was after the seance, there’s no _way_ she could have predicted who was going to die if she wasn’t-”

“-the mastermind.” Tenko finishes. The word sits coldly on her lips, grounding her to the floor. It was so unnaturally emotionless, coming from her. Something had clicked within her, something dispassionate and controlled, “She-- Maybe she knew about Kokichi’s plan, and just _guessed_ what th-”

“I didn’t know that whore inventor was gonna kill me then!!” The purple teen replies, buoyant and juvenile despite such a dark subject, “I came up with that plan a lot later!!”

As awful, as _horrible_ as it sounded, Tenko couldn’t help but think back to the past few days. Tsumugi had been acting aloof, _especially_ to the Aikido Master, treating her stonily with vacant smiles and hollow conversations. She spent Miu and Gonta’s trial first trying to remain on track and then immediately pushing the blame onto Tenko and Himiko once realizing they had moved past who murdered the Ultimate Inventor. The scissors _had_ gone missing once she left the dorm, and she had purposefully excluded herself from the investigation, almost as if sabotaging it. 

Tenko wouldn’t believe it. Of course, she’s not just going to immediately take everything that these two _liars_ say as gospel truth, well aware of their fallibility. She wants to believe that Tsumugi Shirogane is innocent. The Tsumugi she knew was sweet, compassionate and understanding, timid and reserved but still outspoken enough that wasn’t _completely_ invisible. She was everything she made herself out to be: plain. Too plain to pull off something like _this._

“I don’t under-” The sentence chokes as she blinks, slowly, attempting to comprehend everything. She was too tired, she was _too_ exhausted. Why couldn’t things just slow down for _once_ , “I don’t get why you’re telling me this. Why-- What am I supposed to do!?”

 _I’m not smart enough for this,_ she continues, but only in her thoughts. She would kick her own ass if she said that out loud, in front of two degenerate males.

“We need you on our side,” Shuichi kicks his foot against the floor, head down as he stalls, “Because, well… How do I put this…”

“You see this T?” Kokichi grandly gestures towards the ‘T’ in the center of the paper, the one with the question mark scribbled under it. 

Tenko rolls her eyes, “Yes.”

“You know what that means?”

“...No.” Something about the implications, about the way he was saying it, gave her the creeps. There was no way that the ‘T’ could mean anything but bad. 

“It’s you!” At Tenko’s reaction, he raps at the paper, “Can’t see the resemblance?”

“Why am I _there_? I didn’t…” 

She blinks and she’s back. The seance. The sickle. _Korekiyo._

She knew it was lucky, _knew_ that she had been spared somehow. She’s just barely come to terms with almost being killed, partly because her almost-murderer had been executed and banished permanently from the academy. Most of her internal battles derived from the fact that she should have died, the paranoia of being killed lingering as well as the heavy guilt of indirectly killing Angie. It makes sense. It all makes sense. It’s why she felt so _out of place_ after the seance, felt so _disconnected_. It was because she wasn’t supposed to be there. 

“I was supposed to die.” She answers breathily. Kokichi applauds her like a game show host and Shuichi only nods sadly, eyes sullen with concern and worry, “That’s… why the trial was rigged.”

“I’m not entirely certain. But I do have a theory that the people who have been circled are… the ones who are supposed to ‘survive’ this killing game.”

“And you’re not one of ‘em!” Kokichi glances back at the paper, then jokingly hisses under his breath, “Ooh, there’s only one ‘K’ circled… Guess I’ll have to kill the other two so that’ll be me!”

There’s something hidden in his tone. Something that implies the circled ‘K’ _isn’t_ going to be him, that it never was going to be.

“It’s why we needed you to know. We aren’t sure what Tsumugi is plotting next, but it’s entirely possible that she might… try to kill you again. To make sure the deaths are… accurate.” Shuichi pauses, assessing Tenko’s muted reaction. Her breathing sounded funny, like she had something lodged in her throat yet was sealing her lips so tightly that it couldn’t escape, “Tenko? Are you alright?”

No. No, no no no. No. No? You know what? No.

She takes an exaggerated inhale to ground herself. Sometimes the ‘Five Senses’ method works to prevent her from hyperventilating. She can see five things: Shuichi, Kokichi, the kitchen counter, the sink, and the mug she threw in it. She can hear four things: Her heart beat, the sink dripping, Kokichi tapping against the floor, and Shuichi worriedly asking if she was still with him. She can feel three things: her navy pajama pants against her cold and sweaty skin, her greasy hair in between her fingers, her… No, she’s fine. She doesn’t need to do the rest. Tenko will be okay. She’s safe. Or, at least she _thinks_ she’s safe.

She _feels_ safe, which is probably the last thing she would ever expect to think while in the presence of two men, one of them being _Kokichi_.

“Okay. Okay.” She’s nodding involuntarily, eyes vacant and staring at the paper in the Ultimate Supreme Leader’s hands, “Okay! Okay. Okay.”

“Okay?” Shuichi mutters in question. 

She nods again, but quickly stops once she realizes how acutely she’s mimicking a bobblehead.

Shuichi purses his lips, “I-I’m so sorry. I really didn’t want to upset you, we just thought it would be best if-”

“Ah ah ah! Don’t put words into my mouth!” Kokichi interrupts, “I for one wanted to upset her greatly.”

“You didn’t want me here, didn’t you?” She scowls quietly, voice weak, “You were just gonna let me wander off, knowing somebody out there is trying to _kill me?_ ”

“Oh, please, she’s trying to kill all of us!!” He scoffs, “Except Mister _Protagonist_ over here.”

“I told you, I-” Shuichi stammers, but cuts himself off. They’ve obviously had a conversation about that, one that Tenko was not a part of, and quite honestly could not handle having at that very moment. Not after learning about this appalling information. Two things are a _lot_ to think about for _one_ brain.

The detective snatches the crumpled piece of paper from Kokichi’s hands and runs it under the tap water, allowing it to disintegrate into the sink. After ensuring that the paper was destroyed beyond repair, the ink melting onto his fingers, he tears it into tiny confetti pieces and throws them down the drain. Soon after, he flicks the switch for the garbage disposal, and uses the tap again to rinse it down. No matter if the paper was forged or not, no matter if it was simply a trick created by the two boys in order to fool Tenko, it was gone now. Dismantled beyond repair.

“I know it’s all very hard to believe, but we just need one favor from you,” Shuichi whispers, “We keep seeing Tsumugi go to the bathroom, an-”

“You’ve been _following her into the bathroom!?”_ Tenko whisper-shrieks, energy and disgust renewed.

“N-No!! No, nothing like that!!” Shuichi ignores Kokichi’s mumbled response of ‘speak for yourself’, “We just need you to follow her in the girls bathroom; the one closest to the dining hall! Just… _secretly_ , to make sure she isn’t doing anything suspicious!”

“ _You’re_ suspicious!!” She retorts. 

With a rather confused harumph and a heavy exhale from her nose, Tenko decides she had enough for tonight. Yep! She’s over it! She’s over boys!! She’ll just stick with the pretty girls, who are trustworthy and nice and _don’t_ ask her to stalk people into bathrooms, thanks!

She’ll sleep on it. She’ll take the night to process this information. She can’t wake up in the morning all depressed, she needs to be there for Himiko. The dining hall was not kind to her, and not everybody was accepting of her openly taking the blame for Gonta and nearly sentencing them all to death. She’ll need Tenko for emotional support, which the Aikido Master will not be able to provide if she lets all of this information boil over and haunt her.

... _But doesn’t this information also apply to Himiko? Just imagine: you take down the mastermind and free everyone! Isn’t that what you want for her? To be free?_

“Hey, Shuichi.” She calls, stopping beneath the kitchen door. Neither of the two boys had objected to her calling it a night, as they knew trying to argue with her would only make things considerably worse.

“Yeah?” He replies.

“The ‘H’. On the paper. Was that… Himiko?”

A beat passes as Shuichi remembers, “It… has to be. Yeah.”

“And she was circled?”

“Yes.”

Tenko feels her lips tug upwards, “So that means she’ll survive? Right? She’s going to survive this?”

The Ultimate Detective returns a rather genuine smile, his shoulders rising in an almost half-shrug, “I can’t guarantee anything… And that was only a guess… But yeah, I think so.”

A breath of relief comes out of Tenko’s mouth, her chest falling in exhale. Himiko was going to be okay. That’s all she needed to know, really. If Himiko was always meant to survive, then her chances of dying would be significantly lower than Tenko’s, who was fated to perish from the beginning. Even if the Aikido Master does not return from this alive, at least she will have Himiko to continue on in her name.

“Okay,” She consents, chest squared and assured, “Alright, I’ll help you.”

“Clown crusade.” Kokichi confirms, nodding.

Tenko frowns, the moment ruined, however can’t help but mumble a disheartened, “...Clown crusade, it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i read through all of tenkos dialogue for the "love across the universe" events and honestly some of her stuff is REALLY fucking funny like that "hold your breathe and suffocate" line is heavily inspired by something she tells shuichi lmao
> 
> also WHY was putting that image in SO HARD
> 
> anyways thank you so much for reading!!! :D


	22. that's a huge step forward!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tense breakfasts, pancakes, and closets. oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been researching aikido for an upcoming fight scene and let me tell you its actually pretty cool??? its such an interesting technique but at the same time i am not looking forward to describing it lmao

One thing she forgot to mention, she’s an awful liar.

She wakes up the next day, unrefreshed and with the physical demeanor of a bog witch, attempting to convince herself everything will be okay. It’s safe to say she got no sleep last night, big surprise, and felt terrible in the morning. But she needs to force herself out of the dorm. Himiko needs her. She needs to get better for Himiko.

She runs to her bathroom and takes a brief, ice cold shower to wake herself up. Doesn’t do much, just wets her hair. To compensate, she ties her soggy hair back into two low ponytails, clipping her bow aggressively into her skull and sitting her purple headband neatly on her head. To give the appearance of tidiness, she methodically ties two white ribbons over her ponytails, however the ribbons sag and look rather dull. She had been given a hair dryer, in fact every girl in the academy has, however she chooses to blatantly ignore it in favor of speed.

Tenko needed to get ready quickly today, because she was going to make an effort to wake Himiko up. She skips to her door, and lightly begins knocking. She had to wait for a few moments; understandably Himiko was dreading getting out of bed. Last night’s conference in the dining hall was rather cruel to the Ultimate Mage, and did not do much in favor of her innocence. Her classmates had acknowledged her bravery for telling the truth, but were considerably upset at the redhead for throwing their lives in danger. They were much less irate at her in comparison to the Ultimate Detective, who had not bothered to show up to the meeting.

To alert the Aikido Master she was alive, the mage calls a soft, “Coming!”. Tenko hums softly to herself. She was happy that the mage was waking up. There were a few occasions, pre-seance, where her sleeping in had become so bad that multiple people would have to pound against her door just to drag her to the dining hall. Tenko always spearheaded that morning wakeup crew. Usually she was joined by Angie. The brunette couldn’t deny her bright and vibrant personality. With someone as sunny as the Ultimate Artist, there was no denying why Himiko was convinced so quickly.

But that sun had died. So now Tenko has to fill in. 

As the Aikido Master waits patiently, bouncing on her toes, she silently observes her other classmates dragging themselves towards the dining hall. Maki exits with her typical unmoving expression, and spares Tenko a friendly nod, which the Aikido Master returns.

“Good morning. Is Himiko awake?” Maki asks. 

Tenko smiles fondly, and returns with a soft, “Yes, she’s just getting ready! I’m going to wait for her!!” 

Kaito appears from his own dorm moments later, extending a smile to the assassin which does not reach his tired eyes. The grin drops once he sees Tenko. It’s not  _ hostile _ , per say, but it wasn’t genial either. The Aikido Master pulls an ugly face at him, then immediately turns away from the astronaut. 

Shuichi exits and peers over towards the Ultimate Supreme Leader’s dorm (it’s closed), and then towards Kaito and Maki (they ignore him), and finally lands on Tenko. He flashes a fond simper, and receives a pleasant wave back. The assassin and the astronaut look noticeably confused at Tenko’s sudden affection towards the detective, but if they have anything to say on the matter they do not verbalize it.

K1-B0 emerges from their dorm and immediately heads to the dining hall, having nothing to say to anybody. Shuichi drifts behind them. This is either because Kokichi was not in his dorm to accompany him or he wants to look as disconnected from the Ultimate Supreme Leader and the Ultimate Aikido Master as possible.

Tsumugi exits. Before beginning her trek to the dining hall, she takes a large inhale, eyes closed, preparing herself for the day. As soon as Tenko sees her, the  _ real _ Tsumugi, and not the hypothetical one they were discussing in the kitchen that night, she suddenly grows guilty. An icky feeling rakes itself through her spine and up her throat, the horrid sensation of wrongdoing. How could Tenko think anything but kindly of her? She was Tsumugi, her friend who survived with them, the cosplayer who had been dragged through the same odious events that everybody else experienced. If she was out of it, maybe Tenko should be a little more considerate and check up on her, like Tsumugi had done for her. How cruel and horrible of the Aikido Master to assume she was the mastermind. To believe the word of two degenerates over her friend.

Er-- Maybe not  _ friend _ anymore. She seemed fairly agitated about Gonta being declared a killer, even if it was true. And she seemed even more distressed last night in the dining hall, before everybody went to sleep, when Himiko announced she was not in fact the entomologist’s murderer. The Ultimate Cosplayer didn’t want to believe anybody else had killed Gonta, but knew it had to be either the mage, the Aikido Master, or the astronaut. So… things were strained, for sure.

Himiko emerges abruptly from her dorm and flashes Tenko a tense smile. Her blazer is nowhere to be found and her pointed hat sits on her bed behind her.

“Hey, I have an idea!” She begins.

“Yes, Himiko?”

“Let’s go take a nap!” The mage suggests hurriedly, her nervous glances towards Kaito and Maki not going unseen, “Join me, partner. And together we will conquer the dreamland.”

“Well, if you really think your body needs the rest, then sure!! It is important to keep a sound sleep schedule, so that your mind and strength are at its best!” That was pretty hypocritical of Tenko to say, considering how many nights she’s spent tossing and turning, unable to rest, going into the kitchen at 2 AM to meet a certain detective, “But if you’re only sleeping to hide away…”

Himiko deflates, plan exposed, “Nyeh… Okay, maybe I was….”

Tenko brings her voice down to a whisper, “If this is about Kaito, you have nothing to worry about! I’ll beat him up if he tries anything.” Her hands go to her hips, “Already have! Just once, though.”

“You don’t have to do that,” She replies, a playful smirk on her lips, “I’m just… It’s going to be hard for them to trust me again… I get that. I guess I’m just nervous.”

The Aikido Master flashes a small, supportive grin, “It’ll all be okay, I promise!! If you feel too uncomfortable, then we’ll leave!” 

In complete honesty, Tenko was kinda holding on to the idea of the small redhead wishing to leave so that the brunette had an excuse to hide away from Tsumugi. She was not prepared to engage in any kind of conversation with the cosplayer, both out of guilt and also out of the fear of revealing Shuichi’s and Kokichi’s master plan. She’s lucky that Himiko wasn’t too keen on spending time with her, because If the mage were to say anything involving those three, Tenko might just blurt out that Tsumugi was the mastermind.

Himiko brightens only slightly, stance strengthening as confidence begins to reveal itself in her features, “Okay... Alright. Let’s do this… I guess!”

The mage reaches to grab Tenko’s hand, and the pair begin their trip to the dining hall. Both girls intentionally avoid Tsumugi’s tense stare, for differing reasons, creating light chatter to drown out their guilt. About halfway to the hall, Himiko realizes she had left her jacket and hat, which resulted in a series of giggles and snorts that paused them momentarily in their spot. Of course, both of them were already too determined to get to their destination, so the mage opted to ignore her missing accessories. 

“Good morning.” Tenko nods politely upon arrival, as the redhead shyly waves next to her. They’re met with a tiny rumble of greeting from the tired occupants. The classmates were suppressing heated anger, obviously having stewed over the previous trial all night and becoming increasingly agitated in the morning. Kokichi should be lucky he isn’t present. The vibes in the room are rancid.

Tenko really should have predicted how  _ hard _ it was going to be, avoiding Tsumugi. The realization came quickly that the cosplayer was in fact in the same place as her quite often, however was so silent that it never appeared that way. Currently she sat at the back, eating her meal solemnly, occasionally joining in on the light conversation. She’s so plain she’s practically invisible. It would be easy for her to slip out. While Tenko was grabbing her breakfast, she had to take note to keep an eye out for Tsumugi.

“...Escaping is all well and good,” Tenko overhears a conversation that Maki is having with the Ultimate Astronaut and the Ultimate Robot, with Shuichi just barely listening in, “But we still aren’t sure what the outside looks like. Kokichi wouldn’t tell us what the secret of the outside world was.”

“We can’t figure that out just by thinking about it, so there’s no point wasting your brainpower.” Kaito’s voice was rather weak this morning, complexion slightly paler. Still, he was trying to muster up his typical confidence.

K1-B0 narrows their artificial eyebrows, “But we can’t simply not think about--”

“Sure, there’s a chance the outside world is messed up because of Monokuma, but making us worry about it is what Monokuma wants. He’s using it to put pressure on us.” The astronaut scratches at his amethyst goatee, “Kokichi and Gonta… and, uh,  _ someone else _ , just snapped under that pressure. The outside world is probably fine.”

“Such an optometrist…” Himiko mumbles to the Aikido Master, “Can you prescribe some rose-colored glasses for me too?”

Tenko tilts her head, “Um… Do you mean… optimist?”

The mage blankly stares out, before returning with, “There’s a difference?”

The Aikido Master shrugs. She’s not sure either.

Shuichi notices the pair standing rather awkwardly at the entrance, so he gestures for them to take some empty chairs and make themselves comfortable. He’s been unsurprisingly isolated from the class, left at the corner of the dining table to uneasily swirl his spoon around his cereal bowl. Without Kokichi there, he was expected to explain everything, most of which he couldn’t elaborate on without alerting the mastermind of his true intentions. Tenko wasn’t sure if he had given any clarification to the class while she wasn’t there, however it wasn’t likely considering how tense the atmosphere was. Even Himiko was slightly irritated with him, understandably so, but considering how she was being isolated too they sorta stuck together.

“Hey, uh… Himiko,” Kaito spent a quick second debating which of the blue and red pair he should address. He chooses the Ultimate Mage because she’s the lesser of two evils, “On your way here, did you see Kokichi anywhere?”

At the mention of the Ultimate Supreme Leader’s name, an aura of nervous energy shoots through the hall. Discreetly, the class silences to listen in on the redhead’s answer. They most likely discussed this beforehand.

“No, we haven’t seen him,” Himiko replies, “He’s apparently really good at hide and seek, so he’s probably just hiding somewhere…” 

One good look around the room only makes Tenko severely disheartened. The class was diminishing, her friends disappearing, down to a lousy seven students (eight if you included the stubbornly absent Kokichi). Considering how separated the class was now, it felt like even less.

After more unbearable silence, broken only by the most simple light conversation K1-B0 could possibly muster, Tenko’s stomach begins growling embarrassingly loud. The Aikido Master only needed to spare Himiko one tiny look in order for the mage to agree to grab some food with her. Once the blue and red pair pass the grumbling crew and into the kitchen, they immediately hear chatter in the dining hall. They had only started talking once they had left the room. 

Himiko’s face falls, eyes simmering with a melancholy expression of familiarity. Tenko hates thinking that this has happened to her before, “Alright… food… What is there…” 

“We could make pancakes!!” The Aikido Master offers with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She glances briefly over towards Tsumugi. The cosplayer was still in the dining hall.

“I don’t know how… And you don’t either.”

Outside, the students were beginning to grow uneasy. Shuichi said something, or maybe nothing at all, but either way his classmates began to berate him for one reason or another. Both Himiko and Tenko tense at the sudden argument. The Aikido Master felt increasingly bad about not stepping out to help him, as it would be out of character for her to assist a  _ degenerate _ . She could only listen in as his former friends make agitated demands, commanding him to tell them what  _ exactly _ he was trying to achieve by abandoning them that previous trial. Three people knew the answer, but 0/3 could explain without consequences.

She couldn’t even explain to  _ Himiko _ . Again, it was a good thing the mage wasn’t bringing it up, because lying through omission is much easier than just straight up lying to her best friend.

“That  _ may _ be true, but I think I know the basic ingredients!!” Tenko begins scavenging through the pantry, inconspicuously examining the corners for any hidden cameras, just in case they missed anything. She was intentionally speaking louder to cover up the noise from the other room, “Flour, sugar, milk, butter, yeast-”

“ _ Yeast? _ Are you sure that’s supposed to be in there?” Himiko hums.

Tenko shrugs. She wasn’t awful at cooking, in fact she was fairly capable when given a recipe, however without instructions she kinda fell apart, “That’s how you make bread, right? Aren’t pancakes bread?”

“ _ No?? _ They’re cakes??” The mage begins snickering under her breath, followed shortly after by the Aikido Master, “They’re called pan _ cakes _ for a reason???”

“Lies and slander. I know for a fact that yeast goes into pancakes!!” Tenko jokes as she places the ingredient back into the cabinet, stealing a sneaky glance into the dining hall. Tsumugi is still there, “And even if it doesn’t, I’ve got everything else right!!”

“I guess we’ll see, huh? Hand me a bowl,” The brunette does as she is told, and Himiko is given a steel mixing bowl, “My yeastless recipe is sure to beat yours. I won’t even use my magic.”

Tenko smiles, eyes twinkling, “Best pancakes win!!”

“You’re on.”

A quick spoiler alert: neither of them win. It ends in two batches of pancake batter, one so thin it could be water and the other full of slightly concerning chunks. But it’s distracting enough that Himiko forgets about the suspicious glances shot in her direction and the sudden peak in noise coming from the dining hall. It seems something had started while they were screwing around in the kitchen, an argument of some kind which undoubtedly starred Kaito. With one quick look into the next room, Tenko could see that Tsumugi was still in fact there, leaning awkwardly away as the Ultimate Astronaut dissolved into a fit of harsh coughs. He swats away his worried classmates and pushes himself out of his chair.

“He’s coming, he’s coming,” Tenko warns silently. Himiko stares at her hands, covered in flour, and realizes quickly there’s no towel to clean them off. Before the Aikido Master could retaliate, she wipes them on the brunette’s shirt. 

Kaito stumbles into the kitchen and ignores the pair as they catfight each other playfully, immersed in a cloud of flour and covering themselves in the ingredient. He reaches rather sloppily for a napkin to cough into, shielding his mouth the entire time.

“Kaito, are you alright?” Himiko asks. The Ultimate Astronaut returns with a clumsy wave, a graceless gesture as he continues to tremble with gruff coughs and wheezes. 

“Ye-” A chesty cough, “Yes, don’t worry about it. Don’t-” 

He uses the kitchen counter as a crutch, however it doesn’t do much as his knees give out, causing him to tumble to the floor. Luckily for the two girls, Shuichi follows in after Kaito, presumably to make up for whatever argument had just transpired, and as soon as Maki hears the terrible coughing she runs in as well. Her ruby eyes narrow with concern, an emotion that Tenko was barely aware existed in Maki, as she rushes to grab at the napkins the astronaut had so carelessly missed. Now it’s the kitchen that is filled with restless noise, with Kaito impatiently pushing people away and the other inhabitants telling him that he needed help.

“What happened?” Tenko tries to ask, but is promptly ignored by the bustling and chattering of her classmates, “Hello???”

“Nothing--  _ Nothing _ , guys,  _ back off! _ ” At Kaito’s last demand his classmates distance themselves. The astronaut grabs the napkin from Maki’s hands and hastily wipes the corner of his mouth, which was stained with blood. Tenko recalls how he bled from the mouth when she had decked him. Previously she had just assumed that it was because of her punch, but now it seemed much more serious. Much more… deadly.

“That isn’t  _ nothing _ , idiot,” Maki retorts. She’s mean because she cares, “This is so very clearly  _ something. _ ”

“Drop it, alright? I’m fine, really!”

“Is everything alright in here?” K1-B0 checks, peering in from the doorway. They’re met with an eye roll from Kaito, displeased at everybody following him. Tenko agrees, this kitchen was getting way too crowded for comfort.

“Guys, I’m okay. Really! I just… cut my throat, or something!” Kaito explains half-heartedly. Now, Tenko is no doctor, but she’s pretty sure that wasn’t the case here.

Has Kaito always been like this? Not like she’s  _ sympathizing  _ with this degenerate, but she can’t help but feel only a little guilty at how she ignored his obvious struggle. But surely there’s nothing wrong with him, right? They wouldn’t allow an astronaut with health issues to go to space. Or at least, that’s what she thought. Just another reason to find the mastermind and escape, she supposes. If there was anything to escape to, that is, because even  _ she _ didn’t know what was outside.

Even though Tenko was…  _ allied  _ (ew)….. with Kokichi, it didn’t change the fact that he was a mischievous, manipulative, lying little menace with some sort of ulterior motive up his sleeve. Currently he was the only student that she knew of who was aware of what the secret of the outside world held. That, mixed with Tsumugi’s death paper which alluded to only  _ one _ ‘K’ surviving, was sure to lead to dire consequences. Tenko could do nothing but hope. It was a stupid situation, as she was usually one to take action instead of wait, but in this exact moment all she could do was test her patience and hope.

She’s awoken from her intense daydreaming by a blunt cough from Shuichi. The Ultimate Detective was staring at her, waiting for her to return to reality, attempting to gain her attention through the bickering of their classmates. Before she is able to reply with a sharp “what?”, he tilts his head in the direction of the dining hall.

The Ultimate Cosplayer was no longer there.

“Has anybody seen Tsumugi?” Tenko voices out loud.

K1-B0 turns from where they stood, disconnecting from the conversation between the astronaut and the assassin, “She told me she had to use the restroom.”

_ Tenko!!!!!! You were supposed to be watching her!!!!!!!! This is what you were supposed to be keeping track of, idiot!!!!! _

The glance that Shuichi gives her is obvious. ‘ _ Make an excuse, follow her’,  _ it says. An awful idea, really, considering how poorly the Aikido Master does under pressure.

Think, think, think. What’s the most inconspicuous thing she could do right now that wouldn’t attract too much attention or be suspicious? Suddenly blurting that she needed to use the bathroom was a little obvious. While there weren’t any cameras in the kitchen, there were cameras in the dining hall that would be able to hear any half-hearted excuse. 

_ There’s a utility closet, right? A utility closet with… cleaning supplies? _

Maybe a little too enthusiastically, Tenko purposefully backs into the kitchen counter, elbowing the metal bowl of thin pancake batter onto the floor. The room erupts into annoyed groans and disgruntled sighs.

“Whoops!!” Tenko shrugs, “I’m gonna-- Going to grab some cleaning supplies!”

“Yes, run away,” Himiko laments dramatically, “Because now that you’ve dumped your pancake batter on the floor, I’ve won by default!”

“ _ Drats!! _ ” The Aikido Master playfully hisses, cut short by how quickly she runs out of the kitchen.

-=+=-

Tenko pushes open the door to the bathroom and it’s completely empty.

For a second she doubts herself. Did she walk into the right restroom? Shuichi had told her specifically that the bathroom they were discussing was the one closest to the dining hall, which was the one she was currently standing in. Red with silver undertones. Minimalistic. Clean despite none of them being on cleaning duty. 

She tries to be as silent as possible as she steps into the center of the room, but her footsteps are so heavy and her sandals so loud that the end result sounds like pots and pans being slammed against each other. Even then, there is absolutely no sign of the Ultimate Cosplayer, who has seemingly vanished into thin air. Is that something a cosplayer could do? Just up and disappear? Maybe she was camouflaging into a wall. Is that something people do? Cosplay…. A wall?

Shaking that dumbass thought out of her head, she peers around for any security cameras, increasingly aware that she should be careful of how suspicious she is being. There  _ better _ not be any. If she finds out some  _ pervert _ is watching the girls as they use the restroom, she will  _ INVERT _ their  _ RIBCAGE. _

There aren’t, thank god, only a powered off monitor in the corner of the restroom. But that only further proves the “clown crusade’s” suspicion false. Surely if this bathroom held anything of potential for the mastermind, there would be cameras to guard it, right?

Also, reverting back to her first thought,  _ where is Tsumugi?? _

Checking each individual bathroom stall is weird, right? That’s not something a person does, unless they had ulterior motives that didn’t include using the bathroom. Standing in place, she tries to look into each bathroom stall as unobtrusively as possible. Again, no sign of the Ultimate Cosplayer. 

Stupid. Stupid stupid  _ stupid _ , Tenko. She should have know this was such a dumb, idiotic idea. She should have never trusted them, shouldn’t have been so  _ impulsive. _ One inside voice told her that at  _ least _ she knew for sure now, while the other, much louder voice just absolutely obliterated her with insults. With booming jabs coming from all sides, with mocking taunts of  _ I told you so I told you so I told you so!!!! _ What the hell was she expecting to find, anyways? She’s in the ladies restroom, for Pete’s sake!! Nothing suspicious can happen in the ladies restroom! That fact is 100% true! Don’t look that up.

“Dang it…” She breathes at herself. Welp, that plan completely flopped. Time to return to the kitchen, find Shuichi, drag Kokichi out from wherever he was hiding, and give them a piece of her mind. Time is money, people, and this was a complete  _ waste _ of her time. She could have spent these past few minutes making pancakes with Himiko!! Instead, she threw all of the batter onto the floor!! And now she has to  _ clean it!! _

With a heavy sigh, she turns towards the utility closet. She just barely misses a mechanical  _ clunk! _ that hisses behind the door.

_ Stupid boys… Making me do stupid things and waste all of my stupid time…  _

What other restroom could Tsumugi possibly have gone into? Did she just… leave the area entirely? Cause now Tenko has an awful mess to clean up! If only Kirumi were here. That pancake batter would have been cleaned so quickly it would be as if it had never touched the ground. Maybe that pancake batter thing was incredibly dumb on Tenko’s behalf. She could have just as easily claimed she needed to go to the bathroom. Everybody in the kitchen was already so busy with Kaito, so it wouldn’t have made any difference. Well, hopefully there’s a mop in this closet, because she-

Tsumugi flips around, eyes wide and bewildered, “T- _ Tenko!?” _

The Aikido Master shrieks, hands up in defense as she flings the door wide open. She only just barely is able to regain her footing after stumbling wildly back.

“Tsumugi!?” She yells as soon as her breathing is back to normal, “Wh-What are you doing in there!?”

The cosplayer, hands over her chest as she steadies her own heart’s pace, takes a second to conjure up an answer. After making brief, annoyed eye contact with the Aikido Master, and then spinning around to locate a specific cleaning supply, she finally lands on a cleaning spray and a sponge.

“I was plainly looking for this!” She answers, grabbing the tools and gesturing with them, “To-- Kaito was coughing up blood. And everybody was pestering him so I thought-- I just wanted to clean up!”

That’s true, Tenko supposes, although she didn’t recall seeing any blood from the dining hall. There  _ was _ blood in the kitchen, but Tsumugi wasn’t in the room at the time to notice it.

“What about you?” The bluenette asks, eyebrows furrowing as she steps out of the utility closet, “What are you doing?”

Remember in the beginning of the chapter when I mentioned that Tenko was an awful liar? This is where it applies. She had been so careful to avoid direct confrontation with Tsumugi for this exact reason, that being her increasingly clammy hands and her stuttering sentences. All of this pressure suddenly caves in on the brunette, the weight of Shuichi and Kokichi’s master plan riding solely on her shoulders.

“I- I, uh-” This is going spectacularly, if you couldn’t tell, “It’s no- I’m-- Broom! Broomstick!”

She reaches past the cosplayer and grabs greedily at a broom, leaning against the far wall. Tenko realizes quite quickly that she did not need a broom, rather a mop, however she’s already so far into her lie that her grip against the stick only grows tighter. Tsumugi hums slightly under her breath, a smile on her lips while her eyes narrowed in confusion, before hastily washing her hands.

“Alright, well I better get going…” She says awkwardly, still glancing at Tenko with uncertainty, “Um, I’ll see you later?”

“Yee- Yuh huh!”  _ Smooth. _

The cosplayer hesitates to leave the Aikido Master, who stands as stiff as a board in the middle of the utility closet, clutching onto a useless broom, a strained smile spread wide across her face. With one last tense wave, the blunette abandons the tall girl and sharply exits the bathroom.

The sigh of relief that Tenko releases after she leaves is so heavy that it could knock down a bridge. God, she hated that. But now, at least, she knows that nothing suspicious was happening. She’s standing in the middle of the utility closet, the one Tsumugi had been hiding in, and can find absolutely nothing that would incriminate the Ultimate Cosplayer. It’s just a stupid closet, which reeks of chemicals and suds to the point that Tenko has to start breathing through her mouth. 

To make up for her previous mistake, she swaps the broom out for the mop and a steel bucket. She had forgotten only briefly about dumping the pancake batter on the floor simply to create an excuse. She dug her own grave, and now she has to…. Clean it, I guess.

Maybe it was through habit, maybe it was remnants of lingering paranoia, but Tenko finds herself looking up.

Immediately, she comes face to face with a camera. It’s small, hidden in the top right corner and masked in the shadow of the dark utility closet, but it’s there. In such an odd place, too. Why in the world would there need to be a surveillance camera here?

She does a double check of everything in the closet. Perhaps there were weapons in here, poison or a hidden knife, anything worth documenting through a security camera. But all she finds are the same, dull cleaning supplies. Of course, all of them had the potential to become a murder weapon, however nothing was too lethal or out of the ordinary to warrant supervision. Surely, there must be something hiding in this utility closet. And if there was, then she needs to leave. Immediately.

Remaining in the closet after clearly having retrieved her mundane mop seemed overly suspicious, and since she was now certain that she was being watched she will have to be careful of what she reveals. Stealthily and attempting to revert any attention she drew to herself, Tenko shuffles out of the tiny closet. The tiny closet that Tsumugi came out of.

Ew. God, she hated admitting that _those_ _two_ were right. It irked her to no end having to admit that their cruel accusation against Tsumugi may in fact hold some accuracy. And it hurt her even more as the daunting realization began to settle in. _Tsumugi might be the mastermind_. Tsumugi, the girl who she originally viewed as a friend, was beginning to grow increasingly more likely to have conducted this entire killing game. The same killing game that has killed countless of her classmates in gruesome, horrifying methods. The same killing game that nearly killed Tenko, _twice_ , and ripped her precipitously away from her own short life.

She’ll confer with her alliance once they’re alone. Hopefully, the Ultimate Detective will have some sort of answer for all of this. Her conscience was spinning the same old spiel, that they weren’t trustworthy and she couldn’t trust  _ men _ to do her bidding, but for now at least it was silenced by this newfound revelation. They were getting closer. She could practically taste it.

One day, she’ll be able to tell Himiko that they had discovered the mastermind. That they will finally be rid of this murderous killing semester. The dream was getting closer, the smell of freedom increasingly more powerful.

But for now, she has some water-like pancake batter to mop off the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tenko: tsumugi is going to be in the bathroom  
> tsumugi: *is in the bathroom*  
> tenko: 👁👄👁


	23. if you wanna show off true friendship, learn from girls! like going to the bathroom together!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's something weird in the girl's bathroom....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its starting fellas!!!!

_“This is so_ stupid _.”_

 _Tsumugi huffed through her nose, facial expression as blank as she could possibly muster while her fingernails dug into her palms. She was in so much trouble. Jesus Christ, she’s in_ so much fucking trouble. 

_She shouldn’t have been so careless. She should have just killed Tenko in place of Gonta, then used the Ultimate Entomologist as the blackened. She shouldn’t have attempted to create this despair-inducing sequence where Tenko was executed, but instead should have relied on the previously written ending. Now she’s stuck with no execution, an unsatisfying ending to the chapter, a glitchy and borderline hijacked security system, and a still-alive Aikido Master. The same Aikido Master who was supposed to be dead_ two chapters _ago._

_What was Team Danganronpa going to do? They needed her, needed her cosplaying talent, but there was no way they were about to let this one slide. She’s been smart up to this point; she’s actively avoided telling her coworkers her plans so that she has something over them. So that they couldn’t get rid of her, because only she knew what was going to happen next. But at this point, the story and script are so wildly thrown off that the Director could order to kill off Tsumugi at any point and still incorporate it smoothly into the fifth chapter._

_Was she… afraid? Is this why her hands were trembling? Hm. She hated feeling like this._

_She wasn’t sure why she even bothered leaving the dining hall to go to the hidden room. There was no way Tsumugi was planning on answering any of Isobe’s repetitive calls, no chance of her responding to the furious and demanding messages from Team Danganronpa. She just needed the space. Space to exist without having to force anything. To just breathe for_ one _goddamn second. Any sympathy from her classmates was false, precalculated and predictable because of their written character traits. She knows how they would react if she admitted she was sad: Himiko would attempt to console her, Shuichi would awkwardly but genuinely attempt to cheer her up, K1-B0 would listen and say something corny at the end of her tragic spiel. It’s just all too fake. Prewritten._

 _All of the characters were still gathered in the kitchen. Talking about Kaito, no doubt. Consoling him. Tsumugi couldn’t help but release a shaky sigh. The Ultimate Astronaut’s worrisome coughing fit had been postponed until early next morning, because Kokichi did not punch him after the trial. Kokichi didn’t do a lot of things during that trial. It was probably what she was angry about most. They were supposed to be_ predictable _, damnit. She was supposed to_ know what they were going to do.

_Her fingers raked anxiously through her blue hair, pulling and tugging strands from her scalp and into her hands. She rubbed viciously at her eyelids, trying to pull herself together, her normally tidy demeanor faltering and diminishing by the minute._

_Isobe called once more. She ignored him._

_With one last weak slap to her own cheek, waking herself up from this pit she was falling into, Tsumugi turns towards the screens. 4,441. The number had practically_ doubled _during the trial._ **They** _were entertained by the trial being thrown off the handles._ **They** _were entertained by her failing. Well she wasn’t happy, damnit, and she was going to get this shit back into her control. No more haywire voting segments that send an already dead man to his execution. No more warnings or premonitions for the Aikido Master. If a character was meant to die, then they were going to die._

_Her hands ruffled through the documents on her desk and landed on a paper she had written. This was her last option, at this point. Her last chance to save her own ass. Tenko’s handwriting was fairly simple to mimic. Sloppy, inelegant, and written so heavily that it appeared as if everything was being screamed._

_The note was shoved into her desk drawer. For later. When she had the chance._

_Flicking nervously through the surveillance cameras gave her something to do other than yanking ferociously at her greasy hair. It was only meant to be a tense, repetitive motion for her to do as she calmed down, however as soon as she saw Tenko walking purposefully down the hallways she realized that maybe turning on the security cameras was a good thing._

_“What the…”_

_Tenko was not supposed to be there. In fact, Monokuma should have been handing out the “last real key” and the “real last key” to the class, encouraging them to investigate and discover even more research labs. So to see the Aikido Master speed-walking towards an unknown location with a look of determination on her face was weird. She had no idea what had happened to influence this, as the kitchen was a cameraless room, so she could only assume something had happened in there that caused her to leave with so much fervor._

_As soon as the tall brunette turned into the bathroom, Tsumugi realized that she had been followed._

_“Shit!” The cosplayer hissed, reaching clumsily for her jacket and powering off her work screens, “Shit shit shit!”_

_With as little grace humanly imaginable, the bluenette sprinted hastily down the hidden passageway and slammed herself into the utility closet, just in time for Tenko to reach for a mop._

-=+=-

“This is so _stupid_.”

Tenko huffs through her nose, pushing and pulling her wet mop across the floor. Her other classmates had begun investigating to find what the “last real key” and the “real last key” opened, leaving her to do a full deep clean of the kitchen. Because as well as her knocked over pancake batter, splatters of Kaito’s blood stained the kitchen counters and contaminated the area where they make food. They all saw her with a mop in her hand and declared that she would be their cleaning lady. And it made her mad, alright. Typical _degenerates_ , pushing all of the housework onto females!! 

Speaking of which, apparently Tsumugi also decided to abandon her in the kitchen. There was clear evidence of her _starting_ to clean the blood, but the keys must have been so much more compelling to the Ultimate Cosplayer. Which was understandable, Tenko supposes. Everybody had left to investigate, except for Kaito, who instead was resting. And also one more person, of course, not wishing to tag along with her rather irritated classmates...

Himiko twitches her nose, spraying excessively at a splotch of blood, “You’d think that Monokuma would clean this up…”

Tenko exhales sarcastically, “Right? I mean, he cleaned all of the other blood….”

The Aikido Master hadn’t told her about what happened in the bathroom, or the incredibly awkward encounter she had just had with Tsumugi. The Ultimate Cosplayer didn’t mention it either, in fact she seemed rather calm about it. The bluenette must have been a little confused, is all, confused at why Tenko was acting so weird. She would have been too, if she suddenly came face to face with some gaping, 5’9 tree of muscle yelling “broom! broom!” like an absolute cavewoman. 

“I think that’s all of the pancake batter!!” Tenko announces in triumph, ringing out her mop and officially leaving it to dry. 

She feels a pang of discouragement, because now that she was finished she had nothing to keep her distracted. Before Shuichi had left, Tenko had rather hurriedly told him everything she experienced in excruciating detail, so specific in fact that the detective had to cut her off so that he could leave with the others. She just wanted this to be over with, and if she needed to spill everything then so be it. If Tsumugi truly was the mastermind, and had orchestrated the deaths of countless innocent teenagers, then she was dead to her. But she’ll be more lenient towards her for killing the anthropologist. Tenko still hates him.

Shuichi had done nothing but nod, and tell her he’d return with more instructions. It was surprising how he was able to retain everything the Aikido Master whispered to him, considering how sloppily she had done it and how loud the dining hall was when they were discussing. Nobody had said much about the brunette conversing rather amicably with the raven-haired teen; the most they received was a sharp side-eye from Maki. 

“Whose Research Lab do you think they’re going to find?” Tenko questions, desperate for conversation and a distraction, “Whose is left?”

“Nyeh, let’s see…” Himiko dips her sponge back into a steel bucket of suds, beginning her last round of wipes before finally ridding the counters of blood patches, “Isn’t it just Kaito’s? Am I missing somebody…?”

“What do you think is in Kaito’s? Space?”

“That would be cool, but we’d all suffocate without a spacesuit…”

“I’m willing to take that chance!!” Tenko shrugs playfully, placing the pancake ingredients back into their original locations in the pantry.

Himiko smirks inwardly, a muted version of laughter, and plops the sponge into her bucket. She retrieves a dry rag from a lower cabinet and cleans her hands off with it, instead of repeating her previous offense of wiping her hands on the Aikido Master.

“I hope he’s okay…” She admits softly, “It seemed pretty serious… And my healing magic isn’t strong enough yet to heal fatal diseases….”

The tall brunette nods. As much as she dislikes the Ultimate Astronaut, she wouldn’t wish death upon him. Again, if you had asked the Tenko from before this killing game, she wouldn’t give two craps about that man. But now she couldn’t help but feel some backwards sense of sympathy towards him, even though she had punched him in the face once and held a very petty relationship with him. She would punch Kaito in the face again before she ever admitted that out loud, though.

“Alright, let’s go explore!!” Himiko grins, fists pumped, “I wanna look at all the cool labs!”

Tenko is reluctant to agree, knowing full well that Shuichi had told her to remain in the kitchen so that he was able to reach her again once he had more information about the mastermind. She just needs to stall. _Quick, think of something!_ Maybe she should dump another bowl of pancake batter...

“Oh, hey, Shuichi.”

The Ultimate Detective blinks, startled by the Ultimate Mage, but recovers quickly, “Hi, Himiko!”

Tenko exhales in slight relief, _Well, that worked out well!! No need for another prolonged distraction._

“What did you find out there? Was it Kaito’s lab?” The redhead asks enthusiastically, eager to learn what she had missed out on.

Shuichi begins explaining what he had explored with the crew, facing Himiko inconspicuously with his back towards the Aikido Master. In his hands, which were plaited behind him, held a slip of paper. In order for Tenko to notice it, he has to wave it up and down, still maintaining a rather calm conversation with Himiko all the while. It’s been hastily written on one of the class trial receipts, the “report card” that every remaining student receives after having correctly voted for the blackened. It was for the fourth class trial, the one they had just completed. Crudely stamped over it, in red ink, was the letter grade F. The Aikido Master had received the same grade. She doubts anybody in that trial had earned anything above a fail, considering how poorly they had done, except for perhaps Maki and K1-B0. The best they could have gotten would probably have been a C.

The brunette snatches it slyly, and turns towards the wall to read it.

**_distraction incoming-- wait in the bathroom. you’ll know what to do afterwards. also go take a bath you smell stinky >:(_ **

**_k <3_ **

Tenko growls under her breath and immediately crushes the paper in anger, flushing it quickly down the kitchen drain. Stupid little degenerate thinking sh-- He can’t-- She is NOT stinky!!!!!!! He’s not even near her, _he can’t!!!! Smell her!!!!!_

But her instructions were clear. She wasn’t sure what exactly he meant by ‘distraction’, and she certainly didn’t ‘know what to do afterwards’, but at this point she was too far in to back out now. A legato chant sang brightly in the back of her mind: _Trust others so they can trust you, trust others so they can trust you._ Maybe this was way too much trust. Maybe she was being naive and gullible. Maybe Kokichi was intentionally luring her into a specific location, one that is secluded from others, just to murder her. There’s no doubt that she would be able to demolish him easily in hand-to-hand combat; she’s tall, muscular, and strong while he’s short, lanky, and can easily be punted into a nearby wall. However, knowing Kokichi, there’s always something up his sleeve. 

That was the most concerning part of the Ultimate Supreme Leader. His unpredictability. 

The drain gurgles and hisses. Either it’s angry at all of the paper it’s been eating or it’s clogged. Whoops.

“... Besides that, Kaito’s lab was pretty interesting,” Shuichi finishes elaborating to a deeply engaged Himiko, “We’re going to investigate the exisal hanger as a group. Figured it would be safer.”

Was this the distraction? If everybody was collectively gathered in one location, then that means Tenko would have an opportunity to explore without them watching her. And considering how Shuichi was shooting her backhanded glances, it was most likely the case. And it upset her out to no end.

It’s been a rather stressful day, now that she’s thinking about it. This is perhaps the largest amount of lying she has ever done, and it is proving quite shocking that she has managed to get through most of the day without blurting _something_ out. When she was much younger, she had been quite good at lying, in fact was quite secretive around her own parents. But that only proved to lead to more problems, and more arguments and more reasons for her parents to get angry and kick her out of the house for the night. And then _she’d_ get angry, and then she’d yell things she didn’t mean and throw a rock through a window and then-- 

Her Aikido discipline encouraged complete honesty, and with her past experiences she could only believe it to be true. Lying made her anxious, anxious of the consequences. Was it awful of her to lie now? Why did she feel so inclined to do so? What was stopping her from just admitting everything to Himiko, telling Shuichi and Kokichi to bugger off, and just continue her life in the academy in peace?

“I have to use the bathroom,” Tenko says impulsively. It’s the best excuse she can conjure up. 

Himiko pulls her bobbed hair behind her ears, “Oh, okay. I’ll come with.”

That’s not good. Normally she’d be ecstatic to be joined by her friend, however not _now._ Not when she had a secret, vital investigation she had to complete. On one hand, as much as she would love to explain everything, to let Himiko in on their little secret, she has to be aware of who she tells and what she reveals. On the other hand, Tenko needs backup. She needs some sort of safety. The Aikido Master quite obviously drills a pointed look into Shuichi’s head, one that briefly screams, _“Is this allowed?”_

There’s a moment of hesitation from the detective. Himiko has already caught on to their silent conversation, and was raising her eyebrow in confusion, lips pursed in question. After a brief pause, Shuichi lifts his shoulders in a rather serious shrug, nodding his head simply. 

_It’s okay,_ he is saying, _you can tell her now._

And Tenko couldn’t _wait._ She had so much she wanted to tell her, so much to explain and ramble about. _Did you know that there was an entire scheme to reveal the mastermind behind your back?? Haha, fooled you there!!_ _Also I’m so sorry about that I never meant to hide anything from you and I love you and I’d never want you to be left out so that’s my bad._

“Okay!” Tenko consents, “Let’s go!”

-=+=-

Himiko exits the bathroom and walks towards one of the bathroom sinks, “Are you ever actually going to use the bathroom? You’ve been standing there for like, five minutes.”

“I’m just waiting,” Tenko replies, rocking back and forth between her heels and the balls of her feet.

“Waiting for what?” The Ultimate Mage shakes her hands and sends water flying everywhere, droplets sticking to the mirror in abstract patterns, “What’s going on?”

“I can’t say much,” The brunette whispers, leaning in closer so that the mage could hear. Himiko leans in as response, grasping to listen to whatever explanation Tenko had, “There’s a camera in the utility closet that can hear me.”

The Aikido Master wasn’t sure how much the redhead had heard, but it was seemingly enough to make her stop asking questions. Would it piss her off if the brunette explained how she was working with Kokichi? The Ultimate Supreme Leader was not necessarily kind to the mage, and was the subject of many of her anger-fueled rants to Tenko, so surely she’d be angry at her closest friend in the academy suddenly allying with him. In Tenko’s defense, it had only been maybe half a day that she’s been working with him, and even then it was begrudgingly. And also, she had thrown him over her shoulder when she saw him first. That would probably make Himiko happy.

Tenko explains, breathily and almost inaudibly, that she was sent here to investigate the bathroom for more clues about the mastermind. She intentionally leaves out Tsumugi’s name until she could be sure that there were no cameras listening in for keywords, and only briefly mentions Kokichi’s name so as to not anger the mage. Himiko immediately brightens in excitement. Rather than expressing sheer nervousness like Tenko had, she enthusiastically expresses how pumped she was to be playing along, to help in any way possible with exposing the mastermind. “Like James Bond”, she had compared them to, “Or the girls from _Totally Spies!”._ Neither of which Tenko was necessarily familiar with, but held faint recollection of the cute girls from the latter show. She didn’t watch a ton of television at the temple.

They spent maybe another five minutes on a completely unrelated topic, before being briefly interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the girls restroom. They shuffle, with no rhyme or rhythm, and stop right in front of the door.

Kokichi swings it open, his right hand held behind his back, “Hey hey hey!”

“What are you doing!? You are _not allowed_ in the girl’s restroom, _degenerate!!”_ Tenko hisses, moving forward to shove him backwards, “Retreat before I stomp you in the _knees!_ ”

“I’m not _in_ the girl’s restroom,” Kokichi looks dramatically at his toes, which are centimeters away from entering the bathroom, “I’m outside, see?”

Himiko releases a heavy sigh that lasts for a solid beat. This was the point where Tenko knew the mage didn’t hear her when she had confessed to working with Kokichi.

“Nyeh… what do you want?” She groans, clearly trying to get him to leave, “Could you give us a little pr-”

Without any warning whatsoever, Kokichi flings his right arm out from behind his back, yanks at a pin connected to some pink sphere in his hands, and chucks the sphere into the center of the bathroom. With a flamboyant, “Have fun!!”, he slams the door shut.

The pink sphere beeps, shrill and obnoxious, creating a barrier between the pair and the exit. Reflexively, Tenko steps forward to examine just what exactly Kokichi had thrown at them, because if he was aiming _for_ them he was way off. Upon closer inspection, she could clearly see a grey mouse painted over its hot pink coloring, rather inappropriately considering the lethality of the weapon. 

The realization comes quickly, and hits Tenko square in the gut.

“It’s a _bomb,_ ” She chokes, accompanied by the rapidly accelerating beeps, “It’s a _BOMB_!!”

A frantic energy immediately collapses on the pair. They shout and shriek in hysteria, shuffling in terror as they indecisively yelp things they should do.

“ _Kick it!!”_ Himiko yells without thinking, as the Aikido Master screams and jumps in pure panic. Neither of them think to do the sensible thing, which is _run_ , however you had to cut them some slack considering the bomb was practically blocking the door.

Tenko knew she shouldn’t have trusted them. She has this conversation with herself at least ten times per day, but now, as herself and Himiko shriek uselessly at a bomb like it would turn off if they insulted it enough, she couldn’t help but think back to where she went wrong. In fact, she doesn’t need to think back, because she _knows_ where she went wrong. He’s short, malicious, and smells strongly of fizzy soda.

Himiko runs forward before the brunette could react, and quickly punts the pink sphere in the air. Before it can land back on the floor, it explodes in a large flashbang, causing the world to go white with a roaring boom. Their ears ring, with the Ultimate Mage desperately covering them as if it was going to help hide them from the already-exploded bomb. Tenko sustains a high pitched scream, even after the white fades. 

The bathroom lights have been shut off, leaving the mage and the Aikido Master in complete darkness, save for the slivers of light peeking through the bathroom entrance. The empty shell of the bomb lays motionless on the ground. The sound of feet scuffling are heard outside the door.

“Wh-What was-- Tenko, _stop screaming!!_ ” Himiko shouts.

The brunette returns to her surroundings and follows her order pointedly, shutting up almost instantaneously. Instead, she yells, “WHY ARE THE LIGHTS OFF?? AM I DEAD.” Her voice comes out unnecessarily loud, as the loud bang still rang in her ears. 

She extends her hands outwards, grasping for anything she could touch in the midst of the blackout as her eyes adjusted poorly. Himiko has the same idea, and quickly finds Tenko in the pitch black and hugs her arm.

“Can you find the light switch?” The Ultimate Mage asks. The Aikido Master hums in response, shuffling forward with the redhead in tow to find the far wall. She smacks against a barrier, and the pair begin feeling across it to find the switch.

“Found it,” Himiko alerts. Her voice is followed by a few vigorous attempts at clicking it on, however the lights in the bathroom are still turned off, blanketing them in darkness, “It’s not working.”

“...Huh?”

Himiko tries a few more times, practically punching the light switch. Still, it does not respond. Tenko also reaches over to attempt, but her efforts return fruitless as well.

_Think, Tenko. Kokichi obviously did this for a reason. He told you to wait until something happened, and something definitely happened. The lights are shut down, and you can’t turn them back on. Think about it a little._

“Hey, can we scuffle towards the utility closet for a second?” Tenko requests, which Himiko agrees to. 

Still clutching on to each other, the pair manage their ways towards the closet door, and enter the room just for Tenko to immediately trip over some cleaning supplies she left in the middle of the floor. Himiko asks worriedly if she was okay, and for a brief moment they laugh about it, before Tenko realizes that she actually needs to be doing something. She turns towards the direction of the camera, or at least where she thinks the camera is, and looks up.

A tiny, almost miniscule dot of red light came from where the camera was positioned. _Red means off, right?_

So _that_ was his plan. He disabled the surveillance. 

“Quick, can you find anything suspicious in here??” Tenko asks, beginning once again to throw her arms wildly at the tiny utility closet in an attempt to find something.

“No, it’s-” Himiko sputters as Tenko accidentally knocks her in the forehead, to which the Aikido Master apologizes profusely, “It’s so dark in here….! My mana is too low to use my light magic…”

The pair pick up random objects and try to label them in the darkness, illuminated only by the incredibly faint red dot from the offline camera. Tenko is pretty sure she’s picked up the same sponge at least five times. The other two members of the Clown Crusade really should have considered handing her a flashlight, or anything that wouldn’t make this visit completely useless. As her eyes once again adjust themselves, she begins squinting to find any other source of light, until she finally manages to locate the tiniest sliver reaching from underneath the back wall.

Tenko kneels down, not before being whacked accidentally by an enthusiastic Himiko, and draws herself closer to the brightness. A light knock on the wall emitted a hollow, metallic echo. One thing was for sure: there is something behind this barrier.

Himiko picks up what she's trying to do and immediately lurches forward to assist, but she manages to trip on the obnoxious bucket that the Aikido Master had stumbled over upon arrival. Desperately trying to catch herself, the Ultimate Mage sharply extends her two arms outwards, slamming against the far wall. Upon contact, the wall hisses and transforms, firstly settling into position and then slowly craning upwards to reveal a long passageway, only brightened by a row of rectangular lights that patterned the floors. 

Himiko and Tenko gawk at it in daunting silence. _Is this happening? Is this real?_

“I did that with my magic,” The Ultimate Mage says, completely covering up the fact that she had just ungracefully tripped over a bucket. Tenko gasps in complete awe, and the pair share another beat of silence.

“Should we… Tell someone?” Tenko whispers. For some reason, she was afraid of being heard. Despite the camera being off, she still felt the uneasy sensation of being… _watched_.

“How long do we have until the power comes back on?” Himiko replies in question, mimicking the brunette’s volume.

Himiko was right, Tenko realized. If this blackout is temporary, this might end up being a race against the clock. They wouldn’t want the cameras to turn back on as soon as they’d gathered Shuichi and immediately reprimand them for discovering this passageway. Besides, she had complete confidence they’d be able to do this themselves. Tenko held the strength, and Himiko held the stealth and also the common knowledge that the Aikido Master sometimes lacks. They don’t need any degenerates. This might be a dumb idea, but it’s the better option than being caught.

“Not long enough,” Tenko answers, “Let’s go in.”

“Are you sure? This isn’t… some dream? Somebody pinch me.”

The Aikido Master happily obliges, reaching over to pinch Himiko in the shoulder. The mage swats her hand away, hissing in slight pain. 

“Let’s go alright?” In her motivational statement, the brunette was also trying to convince herself to gain confidence. She’s bouncing nervously in her spot, preparing for anything that may happen, “If anything happens, I’ll protect you!!”

“We’ll protect each other.” Himiko nods, grabbing Tenko’s hand. The anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach eases only slightly at the feeling of the mage’s warm hands against hers.

Together, they take one last deep inhale before stepping into the vast hallway. Before stepping into the unknown. Their footsteps echo and bounce off of the walls as they step out from the utility closet and into the baleful tunnel.

Unbeknownst to them, Maki steps in to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maki vs tenko who would win place your bets in the comments below


	24. the only thing i believe in is aikido!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh no. oh no oh no oh no oh no

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIGHT SCENE!!! fight scene fight scene fight scene
> 
> some notes for you all!! :D
> 
> 1) i just fucking. got rid of motherkuma lmfao it didn't serve any purpose in this story so i replaced it with a computer system!! if the motherkuma was in this chapter it would have been powered off anyways because the characters weren't supposed to be in there at that time ;)
> 
> 2) this is the first time i think i have ever written a fight scene....... in my life.......................... my fbi agent must be getting real concerned with how many times i had to ask google what part of the neck to punch if you were attempting to knock someone out
> 
> alright thats all!! thank you all so much for reading, i am so grateful for each and every single one of your kudos and comments <33

Tenko did not like the feeling of being watched.

The pair had not uttered a single word since their departure into the deep hallways, had done nothing but hold each other's hands as they walked further into its jaws. Every step downwards or around a corner would only create echoing noises from their footsteps, bouncing off of the overhead pipes. It was ridiculous to say so, but the Aikido Master could have sworn she had heard a third pair of footsteps. The thought had struck her just seconds into their departure, and ever since then she has been vigilant. Every time she turns around, a shadow slinks quickly behind a corner. Her eyes sometimes played tricks on her, so seeing random shapes in her vision wasn’t necessarily uncommon, however she couldn’t rid the sinking feeling of that silhouette being an actual person. 

The hallway opens into a mechanical side room, looking almost unfinished and half-assed in construction. A low hum rumbles through the space, seemingly drawing the blue and red pair towards the large chamber door. It was shut fast by a central wheel, and had to be rotated in order for them to enter. With one last apprehensive look from Himiko, and a subtle gesture from Tenko motioning for them to be quiet, the pair begin their entrance.

“Open, says me.” Himiko drawls, but then very obviously moves to spin the lock open.

Before stepping through the door, Tenko takes one last generous look behind her. Nobody is there. She shuts the entrance tightly.

The room they enter into is disorganized, at best. Crumpled pieces of paper are carelessly thrown upon the checkered floors, pieces of high-class red velvet furniture pushed and sprawled recklessly all over. In the far back is a wooden work desk, one that you could barely see the surface of under the piles of folders and notebooks. Leftover pipes from an unfinished project of some kind lean against the left wall, surrounded by a bucket of hot pink paint and a wrench. It was some eerie form of a lounge room, a secret hideout hidden in the girl’s bathroom.

Himiko runs over immediately and without hesitation towards the work desk. She’s much more ambitious, determined to discover all of the secrets she could find. Tenko worries that the mage believes she’s not useful enough, and she was overcompensating for it now.

The first thing the Ultimate Mage grabs is a cell phone. It’s rather modern, a model that Tenko has never seen in her life. That being said, her old phone was a useless piece of junk.

Himiko presses the home button and the phone doesn’t turn on. It doesn’t even blink. The power outage had extended into this hidden room, disabling all technology. 

The redhead scans over the work desk, flicking through a folder, and immediately her eyebrows furrow, “It’s all in English.”

“Huh?” Tenko queries, moving forward and peering over Himiko’s shoulder. Sure enough, all of the contents inside the folder were either handwritten or typed in fluent English. As the mage picked up more documents from the workbench and filed through them, she only found more foreign text, “Can you read any of it?”

“Um… I remember some words…” She squints at a piece of paper, as if the words being in english somehow made the text miniscule, “How well did you do in English class?”

“I didn’t go to high school that long,” Tenko shrugs, shuffling through the desk to find anything in her own language, “I got pulled out to live in the temple!! I just started it again.”

Himiko hums, “Yeah, no luck on my part either… I always fell asleep…”

“Perhaps when we get out of here, we should consider taking an extra language class!!” Tenko suggests helpfully, hints of playfulness revealing itself. The Ultimate Mage returns a lovely giggle, which dances lightly around the room.

 _Wow, she’s so perfect,_ the brunette shakes her own head, trying to tilt the thoughts out of her ears, _STOP THAT!!!! This is NOT the time to be homosexual!!!!!_

As Himiko begins searching for a computer mouse, or any sign of a keyboard, the Aikido Master does a quick doublecheck of everything in the room, just in case anything has shifted. The couches are still in the same place as they always have been, the piles of crumpled paper are still lousy and rather lazy looking on the floor, the checkered tiling still gives her a headache. 

The only noticeable difference, Tenko recognizes, is that the chamber door was open. 

She releases a low, confused buzz from the back of her throat and walks away from the work desk to close it again. Not before peeping her head through the door, just to see if anybody was in the hallway. There wasn’t.

Behind her, Himiko had finally managed to locate a keyboard. Clicking the spacebar repeatedly did not seem to do anything, and nothing else was successful in turning on the computer.

“Well, that was a bust.” She sighs, “I’m gonna try to translate what I can.”

“Okay!!” Tenko replies, voice wavering in uncertainty. She was trying desperately to choke down the lingering feeling of somebody watching her. The cameras were shut off, temporarily, and she couldn’t see anybody following. She’d be able to see somebody following them. Right? The hallway is way too open, with little place to hide. Tenko would have seen somebody. Right? _Right?_

“Hey, what’s this?”

The Aikido Master looks back. Himiko is holding an off-white envelope, sealed shut with a floral-patterned piece of yellow tape. Written, in Tenko’s handwriting, are the words: ‘ _To Himiko, From Tenko’._

“It’s in your handwriting... did you write this?” The Ultimate Mage queries, eyes narrowed, “I… thought you’ve never been in here before?”

Tenko blanches, mouth opening and closing for a second with no noise being emitted. Finally, she takes a few steps forward and says, “N-- No, I’ve never…. I don’t remember writing that.”

Himiko raises an eyebrow, biting unconsciously at her lower lip. Tenko needed to remind her to find some sort of ointment for that, because the longer her lip stayed scarred the more she gnawed at it. 

The tiny girl begins picking at the tape on the envelope, “I believe you. It’s just a little _incorporating_.”

“Incriminating?” Tenko corrects subtly.

“Nyeh, that too.” She shrugs, turning back towards the work desk to find anything she could smoothly slice the letter open with. She doesn’t want to rip it open, as that would leave evidence that people were in here, “I’m already being suspected enough… We don’t need you being suspected as well.”

The Aikido Master exhales sadly. Soon, things will return to normal again. Her classmates won’t have to isolate Himiko from the group anymore, because Tenko will return with clear evidence. Cold, hard evidence that a certain somebody is the mastermind. All she had to do is push past this awful, nagging voice in the back of her skull that’s telling her somebody had followed them, and go back to investigating. 

If Himiko has taken the work desk, maybe she should explore somewhere else. Somewhere else that isn’t near the chamber door. And she should do it quickly, she’s not sure when the power is going to come back. She can’t see any cameras, but Tenko would be surprised if there wasn’t surveillance in this hidden room.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Himiko calls back, eyes still trained on the work desk in front of her, “Do you know how long the blackout lasts?”

“Um, no.”

“Hrrg. I still can’t see anything. Do you think that--” Himiko turns around, and almost instantly her eyes widen in complete terror. Her right arm shoots up to point outwards, behind the Aikido Master, “ _Tenko-!”_

“Hm?”

Out of sheer luck, a _miraculous_ amount of luck, Tenko turns around just in time for Maki’s devastating swing, intended for the vagus nerve on the side of the Aikido Master’s neck, to connect with her chin. 

Instead of being knocked unconscious, probably as the Ultimate Assassin had intended, Tenko stumbles backwards, vision blacking out for a moment. Taking advantage of the taller girl’s brief weakness, Maki quickly reels her arm to strike once more. Primal instincts shoot through Tenko, fight or flight reflexes seering through her body, and she quickly deflects the assassin’s punch by blocking it with her left arm. The right side of her body pushes Maki’s head down, momentarily preventing her from moving, before shoving the assassin away, all in one fluid motion.

Tenko blinks, fight stance wide and ready for action, however her vision is still slightly blurry. She could see the Ultimate Assassin positioning herself into a fighting stance of her own, fists clenched instead of opened like the Ultimate Aikido Master’s, “M-Maki, what the-”

“I always knew you were suspicious. Suddenly working with Shuichi and Kokichi? That little stunt you all pulled last trial?” Maki snarls. Himiko is yelling something behind her, but it’s all white noise in the background. The mage doesn’t dare to interfere as the girls circle each other like wild beasts, “ _And_ you know _exactly where the mastermind’s lair is?_ ”

“Maki, it’s _not_ what it-!”

Tenko isn’t able to finish before Maki runs at her again, inhumanely fast, swinging to strike the Aikido Master somewhere in the jaw. Tenko ducks quickly, receives a dirty left-handed uppercut to her stomach, but uses that same attacking arm to grab Maki and flip her. The ruby-eyed assassin reflexively rolls out of it, but still lands fairly roughly on her back. The Aikido Master grimaces. She wasn’t trying to harm her, she was just defending. This was pure aikido, not the aggressive and harmful Neo-Aikido. She’s dialing it down. Tenko is not trying to hurt anybody.

Maki is.

“This is _all_ just some big misunderstanding!!” The Aikido Master attempts to reason, promptly blocking a strike to the neck but receiving another punch to the gut in its place. Tenko has begun to pick up her patterns. Maki never strikes just once, but always goes for the illegal sucker-punches, “Stop fighting, and just _listen!!_ ”

The assassin hisses, creating slight distance. Tenko can tell just by the way her feet are positioned that she’s planning to attack again, “I _just fucking heard Himiko_ talking about the letter. Written in _your handwriting._ Do you think I’m an _idiot?”_

“No, not at all!! But I think you’re acting a little irrationally, and I know you’re stressed-- we _all_ are-- but this isn’t the way--”

As predicted, Maki strikes once more by first attempting a right hook, which Tenko deflects. The assassin just barely stumbles, but tries to land another dirty uppercut. Having learnt and memorized Maki’s foul play, which juxtaposed the rather traditional method of fighting that Tenko was used to, the Aikido Master is prepared this time to grab her arm and yank her down. Instinctually, Tenko strikes the nose, managing to hit her with her right palm. As soon as Maki recoils, Tenko gasps and begins apologizing profusely. Again, she was so used to being violent in Neo-Aikido. These moves were studied and learnt over years of training, and were hard to deconstruct. 

Maki stumbles back into the left wall. She blinks, blood beginning to trickle down her nose. If she noticed it, she barely showed it, hastily grabbing at one of the metal pipes leaning against the wall. With a loud cry, she swings at Tenko.

The Aikido Master is appalled, and only just barely ducks as the pipe is swung where her head used to be. Tenko is trained in a form of aikido that implements shinai, or bamboo swords, so surely she could substitute them out for metal pipes in this situation. However, usually she _had_ one to fight with. Deflecting a pipe with her hands is going to leave awful bruises.

Tenko dodges another jab from the metal pipe, slowly retreating backwards. That’s never good. In a duel, she was always taught to be assertive, to always be the one driving them backwards. Now that she was reclining, it was showing great weakness.

Maki swings for the knees, an easily avoidable strike that Tenko was able to jump over with her rather tall figure, and then strikes again at a much higher level. Reflexively, the Aikido Master tries to block with her forearms, but receives a nasty lashing instead. Hissing in pain, the slightly disgruntled reflex that Tenko allows to escape gives Maki the upperhand. The assassin strikes for the green-eyed teenager’s gut, knocking her quickly to the floor.

As she connects with the stone-cold ground, her bare skin shivering at the low temperature of the checkered tiling, a burst of overwhelming anger seeps rapidly through her body. Her vicious instincts, her repressed anger and fury, all come spiraling back in one flashing moment of rage. With no second thought and a brutal growl, Tenko kicks out from where she’s sprawled on the floor, hitting Maki in the shinbone and sending her to the ground. The Aikido Master lunges for the now abandoned metal pipe, however the Ultimate Assassin also pounces to grab it again, resulting in a rather childish game of tug-of-war. Tenko is successful in thrusting the far end of the pipe into Maki’s abdomen, but the ruby-eyed girl is overall triumphant in obtaining the pipe through a sneaky stomp to Tenko’s foot.

“You’re being _unreasonable!!_ ” Tenko squawks. She blocks a swing from the metal pipe with both her forearms, ignoring the blaring pain that shoots through her upper body, “You won’t even _listen_ to me!!”

Steely determination is the only emotion Maki allows to be shown through her facial expression. It’s a clear look of past torment, of years of emotional training to become this hardened. One that tells Tenko that she never _listens_ to her victims. She just swings. That was her job, her _talent._

“There’s people in here who _need to leave,_ ” She says, voice low and dangerous, “And I _won’t allow you_ to stop them.”

 _Kaito,_ Tenko realizes, _She’s desperate for Kaito._

Two raps against the wall alerts the Aikido Master of Himiko’s location. The brunette spares only the briefest of glances towards her, deflecting a violent poke from Maki. The Ultimate Mage was standing near the left wall. She gestures a spare steel pipe in her direction, letting the tall girl know she was about to chuck it, and then throws it at the Aikido Master. As soon as Tenko has the weapon in her hands, her confidence comes rising back.

All tactics to pace herself, all attempts at reserving how violent Neo-Aikido could get flew out the window. Maki was going to kill her. She’s an _assassin,_ for Pete’s sake. And if Tenko was going to come clean, was going to be completely honest with herself, she was always scared of her. Ever since her talent was revealed by the Ultimate Supreme Leader, she was always cautious around the dark-brunette killer, careful of how she phrased things and avoided being alone with her. It was sickening to the Aikido Master, to purposefully treat _any_ girl differently, but she was scared. She _is_ scared.

Tenko is going to survive. She needs to survive. 

There are so many people that would be disappointed in her. So many people watching over her as she actively hurts a girl to protect herself. Thinking about that only makes her nauseous. 

With two hands on her weapon, the Aikido Master blocks Maki’s overhead swing, then immediately jabs one end of her steel pipe into Maki’s abdomen again, a seeming weak spot for the assassin. As the ruby-eyed girl doubles over reflexively, Tenko swings harshly overhead at her shoulder, knocking her to the floor. The assassin grunts and kicks, pushing herself backwards, however Tenko has the upper hand. 

“Please,” The Aikido Master tries for the last time, voice wavering despite her invulnerable stance, “ _Please_ just-- _Listen!!”_

Maki ignores her, head violently whipping around to locate anything she could use in her own defense. With seemingly no other option, the assassin kicks her right leg upwards, temporarily disarming Tenko of her metal pipe, and springs off of the floor, sprinting stealthily towards her next strategy.

Before Tenko could blink, Maki has Himiko in a choke hold.

Signalling the end of their battle, the power flashes on all at once. The bright, synthetic lights overhead practically blind the trio, cameras, in all four corners of the room, power on individually and point themselves at the three girls. The computers hovering over the work desk dial on with electric blue loading screens. One of them, the massive flat screen positioned in the center of the collection of computers, reveals a display asking for a password. Over it, the words _‘Welcome back, TD’_ , present themselves boldly. There’s no time to think of what that might mean. 

The cell phone on the desk jitters and vibrates, before ringing obnoxiously, the trembles of the call inching the device slowly off of the table.

“Answer it.” Maki demands, red eyes glowering menacingly at the helpless Aikido Master. 

“Let her go.” Tenko snaps back, voice high and afraid.

“ _Answer it,”_ The assassin repeats. Himiko struggles and whines in her strong grip, hands banging uselessly at Maki’s offending arm.

Tenko’s eyes widen, a strangled cry choking behind her lips at the sight of Himiko being hurt. She immediately looks towards the ringing cell phone.

“Th-That’s not _mine!_ ” She coughs.

“Answer it, or there _will_ be consequences.” Based on how her grip slowly but surely begins to tighten around Himiko’s neck, Maki was most certainly implying harm towards the Ultimate Mage. Tenko’s heart accelerates, her breathing quickening as she rushes compliantly over towards the work desk. Through her glassy eyes, threatening to spill hot tears over her cheeks, she manages to catch the display on the phone. ‘ _Isobe’_ , the caller ID reads.

“I don’t know who this is!” She tries desperately, device in her hands, but Maki only shoots her a threatening glare, Himiko croaking in her arms. Begrudgingly, Tenko presses the green answer button, and holds the phone in her violently trembling hands. She clicks quickly at the speaker phone, just so the assassin is able to hear. If she convinces her that she has nothing to do with this unknown caller, maybe she’ll let them go.

“Oh, thank _FUCK!_ ” The caller grunts in irritated relief, “Do you know how many times I tried to fucking call you!? What the _hell_ was that trial all about!? The Director is fucking _pissed!!_ I’m gonna lose my fucking _job!!_ ”

Tenko’s mouth hangs open. Maki keeps shooting her silent glares, quietly threatening her to say something back to this rather exasperated man. The Aikido Master only raises her shoulders, trying to mouth that she doesn’t know who this is, that she doesn’t know _what_ he’s talking about, to _please just let Himiko go she’s choking you’re_ **_killing_ ** _her please-_

“Where the hell are you!? What the fuck happened to the security cameras!?” The man, Isobe, interrogates, to which he is met with silence, “ _Hello!?_ ”

Spurred on ruthlessly by Maki’s intense glowering, Tenko raises the receiving end of the phone up to her wobbling lips. With a heavy inhale, her weak voice just manages to let pass a soft, “...Hello?”

Quiet. A beat of silence.

“...Who is this?” Isobe challenges.

Tenko looks back at Maki, her eyes hopelessly pleading with her, begging her not to do this. This could blow _everything_. Shuichi and Kokichi’s plan, which had been so methodically planned and brilliantly hidden, could all come crumbling down in this pivotal moment. The Aikido Master could once again ruin everything. She doesn’t want to do that. She couldn’t live with herself if she was the sole reason that everybody was trapped forever, the mastermind choking them in their grasp, with no escape to the outside world. She couldn’t do that to the remaining class, she couldn’t do that to Maki, and she couldn’t do that to Himiko. It’s why she was struggling to speak, her brain telling her to do it for the mage while her throat constricted, preventing any noise besides choked gargles.

“ _Tenko,”_ Maki hisses under her breath. Her mouth has formed into an unpleasant scowl, however in her eyes there’s a yearning, a panicked desperation. She wants the mastermind to be Tenko. She _needs_ the mastermind to be Tenko. The assassin has someone she needs to protect, people she needs to free. By any means, she’ll do it. By any means.

Because, like Tenko Chabashira, Maki Harukawa is terrified of the killing game.

The Aikido Master exhales shakily. Get it over with now, to protect Himiko. That is her main concern in the present moment, “Tenko.”

Another very long pause on Isobe’s end, before, “...Are you yanking my chain?”

“...No…” Tenko slurs back, grip so tight on the phone that the device may snap in half at any moment.

The following silence is so harrowing and desolate that the Aikido Master could hear her own heart pounding senselessly in her eardrums. There’s a shuffling noise from the other end of the receiver; obviously Isobe has begun muttering to other confidants in the room. It sounds as if he was in a busy office space, with faint keyboard clicking and bustling footsteps in the background. Despite clear, vivid reception from the mobile phone, a connection so much clearer than anything Tenko had ever heard in her life, the Aikido Master was unable to pick up anything he was whispering.

It wasn’t until he spoke up again, loud and firm, that Tenko was finally able to pinpoint what was happening.

“Shut it down,” Isobe demands, voice strong and powerful, “Shut it- The characters have gone to shit, _shut the broadcast down, damnit!_ ”

He hangs up. 

Milliseconds after, the entire room erupts into loud, wailing sirens. Red lights flash and blink in beat with the booming horns, as Tenko rushes to protect her ears. Any white noise still lingering behind, including the high-pitched buzzing of the working computers, were immediately muted by the deafening alarm.

_it’s too loud it’s too loud it’s too loud it’s too loud it’s too loud it’s too loud it’s too loud_

Maki, instantly recognizing that their positions have been compromised and she may be attacked at any moment, releases Himiko. The mage stumbles forward to Tenko, gasping greedily for air as the Aikido Master embraces her with open arms. For a quick moment, the brunette and the assassin lock eyes, a solemn truce between the two as the sirens trumpet in the background. 

The Ultimate Assassin looks almost remorseful. It’s so fleeting, and the red lights are so blinding, that Tenko could almost convince herself that it never happened.

“I’m- This isn’t- Shit _,_ ” She hisses, her typically calm demeanor beginning to diminish as she turns upwards towards the cameras. She’s been caught red handed, videotaped by the surveillance, “I need to find-- _Shit!_ What’s happening!?”

And with that last growl, Maki disappears back through the hallway, again veiling herself in the darkness.

Tenko stands amidst the noise for a moment, allowing herself to exhale as Himiko coughs and wheezes. This isn’t good. This is not good. Everything’s falling apart, she’s in so much trouble, she’s put _Himiko_ in so much trouble, she should have told more people about this plan, she should have _never agreed to this plan,_ she should have-

“Tenko, we need to go,” Himiko croaks, voice hoarse and dry as she tugs desperately at the Aikido Master’s arm, “We need to _go!_ ”

-=+=-

The alarm bells have extended past the hidden room in the girl’s bathroom, screeching mercilessly down the hallways and corridors of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles. 

Tenko practically drags Himiko with her, feet pounding against the floor as she runs through the facility. The pair are screaming, shrieking out for their classmates, but do not receive any form of response over the ear-splitting wails of the sirens. Himiko had sharply suggested they run to the courtyard, because surely that must be where everybody else had gathered, but Tenko was worried that being in an open area makes them much more susceptible to air attacks. If that was what they were up against, of course. Neither of them had any idea what power this ‘Isobe’ guy held, no clue who or what was coming to get them.

So, instead of running towards the courtyard, Tenko was indirectly attempting to find Tsumugi.

Surely if she was the mastermind, she would have complete control over these thunderous horns. The Aikido Master just needed to find her. She needed to find the cosplayer before the bluenette did anything rash.

Racing in from behind a corner, Kokichi Ouma enters rather ungracefully, cutting the duo off. His face is completely stricken with a rather uncharacteristic rage coming from the tiny supreme leader, fingers in his ears as he shields them from the blaring noise.

As soon as he locks eyes with Tenko, his face twists and hardens even further, “ _What the hell did you do!?_ ”

The Aikido Master’s first reaction is to sputter and hiss angrily at the _male_ for speaking to her in that manner, “ _Don’t_ curse at me, you _degenerate twink! I don’t know!”_

“We were-- We found a hidden room--” Himiko’s breathy explanation is interrupted briefly by a coughing fit, “And Tenko had to answer a phone that was ringing--”

“ _Why_ would you answer it!?” Kokichi screams, voice loud despite his small stature.

“I was _forced to,_ it’s a long story!! But some guy named Isobe told these other people to ‘shut the broadcast down’, and then all of the sudden these alarms went off!” Tenko shouts back.

Kokichi huffs furiously, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation, “ _This_ is why I told that idiot Saihara not to-- _God,_ Tenko, you’re so _stupid!!_ ”

And with that hateful spit, the Ultimate Supreme Leader runs past them, surprisingly agile, heading towards a destination unknown. The Aikido Master doesn’t have the strength to stop him, or tell him off for calling her stupid. She just takes it. It’s a fair description. She’s so low in energy that all she can focus on is finding Tsumugi. 

“Hey, where are you going!?” Himiko yells back at him, sudden resentment increasing her volume, “We’re trying to _find_ people!”

Kokichi’s typical childishness returns as he flips around the face them, a pointed finger over his lips and a cocky smirk twitching at his cheeks. He gives them a sly, “Who’s to say I’m not looking for anybody…?”, and with that loaded statement he runs off. 

The Ultimate Mage sighs incredibly loudly, just so Tenko was able to hear it over the horns, “We gotta get to the courty-”

“You go. I’m gonna find Tsumugi,” The Aikido Master returns bluntly. All hints of softness have been removed, ridden with guilt and a heavy feeling of responsibility over the disquieting situation they were in.

The redhead squints, confused, but nonetheless offers a serious nod in agreement.

“Be safe,” She says, squeezing Tenko’s hand in good luck before running in the same direction that Kokichi just went.

Tenko runs. She’s not sure in what direction she’s heading, not sure where she ended up, but she runs until she can find somebody. Anybody. She’s buried back into her mind, legs moving involuntarily as she blankly wanders through the halls of the academy. Nothing too dire has happened yet, at least that she’s aware of, but she couldn’t help but feel this overwhelming guilt clawing at her shoulders. Guilt for _all_ of her classmates, surprisingly. For letting everybody down when they were relying on her. It was her fault things ended this way. Her fault.

She should apologize to Kokichi. And then she’ll find Shuichi and apologize to him too. The whiny voices reprimanding her for being remorseful towards _degenerates_ is quickly shoved down by her culpability, her responsibility to make things right. Everything is so meddled and hushed in her brain, muted and deafened by the shrieking sirens, that her prejudice seems to have washed away. Gone silent. 

It’s like she’s a completely different person from who she was before this killing game. It shocks her, but not enough to stop running.

Tenko turns a corner and realizes she’s returned to the spare rooms. The _seance_ room. She sure hasn’t been _here_ in a while, in fact the Aikido Master has practically avoided this corridor ever since the third trial. In the flashing red lights she is still able to see the cage, shoved just slightly to the right of the center of the room. The stone her forehead was resting on remained still, untouched on the floor. The sickle was somewhere. As soon as she saw it, bile rose in her mouth so violently fast that she had to turn away and was unable to see where the weapon was placed in the room.

Loud, running footsteps turn the corner in front of Tenko. Emerging from down the hall was the Ultimate Cosplayer herself. 

She’s incredibly disoriented, hair clumped in knots and mascara smudged around her eyes. In her hands, she’s holding something, however through the flashing red lights Tenko is just barely able to identify what it is.

“ _You!”_ She hisses as soon as she locks eyes with the Aikido Master. 

Tenko musters up the energy to return a pointed glare back, however any words freeze at her lips. Tsumugi isn’t a fighter, so surely she’ll have an easier time taking her down if the cosplayer attacks. Mastermind or not, the Aikido Master was so hollow and cold in this present moment that she’s willing to take anybody down.

“This is _your fucking fault!_ ” Tsumugi spits, as if Tenko didn’t know that already, “God that-- That _stupid_ chapter three trial!! And your _stupid--_ _Stupid_ fucking _character development_ \-- Teaming up with _Kokichi!?”_

The Aikido Master doesn’t reply, only steps cautiously forward. How did she know about Kokichi? Did she know about Shuichi, too? The only way she could possibly have access to the security cameras was if she was the mastermind. That fact practically seals that the Ultimate Cosplayer was a threat.

The alarms do not stop. The ruby lights gleam across Tsumugi’s spectacles. It’s almost cinematic, in a way. 

“This _entire_ game would have been perfect-- _Should_ have been perfect-- but then _you_ have to screw up _everything!_ ” Her chest heaves, voice trembling. Tenko can see her clenched jaw, her gritted teeth as the cosplayer anxiously stares at the lights and the cameras watching them.

Was Tsumugi scared?

“It’s over now, Tsu,” Tenko attempts to reason, voice gentle yet rigidly cold as she approaches the frenzied bluenette with her hands in front of her, “Just give it up. You’re not going to win in a fight.”

Tsumugi scoffs, “Oh, so now you’re gonna fight a _girl!?_ What the hell happened to you!? You were supposed to be the female protector!! The only person you were supposed to hate was _Angie_ , for Christ’s sake!!”

Now was probably a bad time to mention she had just come from a fist-fight with Maki, “Tsumugi, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re being very confusing. I need you to hand over whatever you’re holding.”

The Ultimate Cosplayer heaves the object in her hands upwards, grasping it by a narrow handle, “What, _this?_ I just _plainly_ can’t do that, I’m heading to the courtyard to show all of our friends! I’ve already shown Himiko…”

Tenko ruffles, hardening, “ _What do you mean by that?_ ”

Tsumugi’s smile widens, twitching insanely, pointing the object at the Ultimate Aikido Master, “It’s just to help you… _get back into character._ That’s all!”

Before Tenko was able to run, shield her eyes, or even turn away from the Ultimate Cosplayer, Tsumugi activated the flashback light and blinded the horrified brunette. 

With no warning, a sudden tsunami of violating memories came ru͓̣̐͝ṡ̩̳͠h̠̣̿̔in͔̟̂͛g b͈̮̀̓ǎ̛̜͖̬͊͜

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alexa, play 'pound the alarm' by nicki minaj


	25. we must remember who the real enemy is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nature vs nurture: the debate that investigates whether the environment in which one grew up in has any effect on the characteristics and personality of a human being

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note time!! including a trigger warning:
> 
> 1) i feel the need to place a trigger warning for tenko's parents. i haven't really discussed it beforehand, so i just wanted to let you guys know before the chapter starts in case anybody is uncomfortable with reading about dysfunctional families. they are not incredibly violent or anything but they are still pretty shitty so if that's not alright with you feel free to skip the first part of this chapter!!
> 
> 2) the religion that the temple Tenko lives in follows the Shinto religion. i did a lot of research, however if i said anything or wrote anything inaccurate or offensive please let me know so i can fix it!!
> 
> 3) much of this backstory is based on canon (living in a temple, going out in masks to fight criminals), however a lot of it is also my interpretation 
> 
> 4) most of this chapter is written in italics........... i am sorry
> 
> thank you so much!! i hope you enjoy :D

_Tenko Chabashira was a scruffy eleven year old: fists always brandished, more bruises on her body than she could count, and the tallest physique in her entire grade level._

_The town she lived in was small, a lonesome area that other kids in her province would call ‘out there’. Thin trees littered the area and would cover the tiny houses, not enough to shade them from the sunlight but enough to create disorganized streaks of shadow. The shops were almost always empty, cars sparse and few. Children would play in the streets, avoiding their mother’s calls to come back inside, with their traditional woolen school uniforms and ratted hair tied back into ponytails. Despite an almost innocent appearance, crime rates were high. There were reasons why her house had three locks on the door._

_The path that Tenko took to walk home from school could barely be considered a sidewalk. The construction workers had given up trying to complete the concrete as too many kids, including Tenko herself, would draw in the wet cement with sticks and their own grubby fingers. To get to her house, which was a thirty minute walk from the school she studied at, she had to walk through gravel, tree roots, shattered pieces of beer bottles, and broken cement tiling. Which was pretty awful considering she had lost one of her shoes in a fight, the same scuffle that sent her home early. It wasn’t_ her _fault that Sousuke was being a total idiot and kept yanking at other girl’s hair._

_Even if he was three years above her, that did not give him any permission to torment the underclassmen!! He was practically begging to get punched in the face._

_Her feet dragged as she approached her house. It’s positioned far away from the road, the path diverting into a dirt walkway as she turns into the woods. Her parents were going to be so mad at her. They were phoned early that Tenko would be returning home, and would be staying home for the next week until she learns her lesson. Her parents had already threatened to pull her out of school for the last suspension she had._

_Good. She hates school. School is stupid, and she can never focus on any of the lessons. She’s dumb. And school is dumb._

_She approaches the house with a mighty huff. The rocks outside are scattered and an easy tripping hazard; sometimes she runs to the front yard just to throw them when she’s desperate for something to do. When she can’t bear to stand still. Which is incredibly often._

_Tenko opens the screen door and then the narrow wooden door, which still splintered from the time she had slammed into it too hard. She rips her hair tie out of her hair, allowing her dirty brown hair to collapse over her shoulders. She doesn’t bother with any formal greeting to the members of the household, instead quietly attempts to slink back to her room._

_The only person who should be home right now is her mom. Kaiya Chabashira was a compassionate woman overall, earthy and relatively calm, however she did tend to just let things happen. Despite being a stay-at-home mom, she was barely present most of the time, a ghost in her own house. The most that Tenko would receive from her would be a stern talking to, no real consequences for any of her actions. Still, Tenko loved her mom, or at least held a fond connection with her; an obligation to love her._

_The real person she was worried about was Osamu._

_He lived in her house too, Tenko supposes, but they rarely ever talk. Or at least, Tenko tries to keep it that way. Her mom married him probably five years ago now, and ever since then he’s been an absolute pain in Tenko’s side. Telling her off for being excited about things, telling her to stay still when she very clearly can not. She hated him. Her mom told her that “hate” was a strong word, so she’ll use it for Osamu._

_Words can not describe how well he does as a stand-in father figure, but numbers can. 0/10._

_Tenko manages to get to her room without attracting any attention, even passing by the kitchen where her mom was residing. The walls of her room had been painted light yellow by the previous owners, paint chipping and peeling. Holes in her walls, created by Tenko herself during her unpredictable fits of anger, have been filled in with white baby breath flowers and purple hydrangea. She really loved flowers. They gave her a sense of peace, grounded her when she was feeling emotional. Also, they were really cute._

_Sure, the flowers had been stolen from the front of the school she went to, but that’s not important. What’s important is that the flowers were pretty._

_Tenko falls into her bed, punching at her pillows in rage. She had to do something, needed to do_ something. _Maybe she should run outside and throw rocks, or punch another hole in her wall then find flowers to fill them. Or kick or scream at her mom or sprint or run away from home or-_

_“You’re home early, sweetheart,” Her mom greets her, hovering rather awkwardly under the doorframe. Her door had been removed earlier that month by Osamu, claiming something along the lines of Tenko being ‘too secretive’ for his own taste. In a blunt response, the brunette had kicked his own door until scuff marks and dents appeared._

_“Yeah, I guess I am,” Tenko huffs back, muffled by her pillow as she sprawls face down on her bed._

_Her mother hums, head leaning against the wooden doorframe, “Your father will be home soon. He’s not happy, Tenko.”_

_The brunette scoffs, lifting her head upwards, “He’s_ not _my father. And I don’t care.”_

_“Why do you keep doing this, Tenko? I don’t understand why you had to punch the boy,” Her mother glides over to the side of her daughter’s bed, much to the brunette’s discomfort. Tenko shuffles away from her, pettily distancing herself with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face._

_“It was_ his _fault!!” She argues, “He wouldn’t leave Aika alone!!”_

 _Side note: Aika was a friend. Well, an acquaintance. Not the type of relationship that was close enough where they would go over to each other’s houses or braid each other’s hair or talk about gossip or anything, but enough to smile at each other in the hallways. Tenko really liked Aika. She was smaller than the brunette (that being said, everybody is), with strawberry blonde hair kept in two neat plaits and lovely light purple eyes that reminded her of the hydrangeas she kept in her room. Even if Aika never talked to Tenko, the brunette still felt some sort of strong connection towards her. Admiration? How do you explain the feeling of just…_ really _wanting to be friends with somebody?_

_Kaiya sighs heavily, “How many times do I need to tell you this, Tenko? You can’t keep punching your problems away.”_

_“I can sure try!!! I’ve gotten this far!!!”_

_“We’re worried about you, sweetheart,” Her mother moves to gently touch her daughter’s knee, but Tenko swats it away. She was too angry to be touched right now, “Your father and I have tried as hard as we could, but if you keep having these angry spiels-”_

_Tenko would hardly call it ‘as hard as they could’. The phrase made her skin hot, her cheeks redden and her nostrils flare._

“I don’t care!” _She spits angrily, flipping herself away from her mother and shielding her ears with her pillow. She didn’t mean it, she never did, however she couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. Kaiya exhales rather sadly, giving up instantly, and walks away without a second attempt to console her daughter. She just leaves. She lets Tenko stew over her anger until Osamu gets home to deal with the situation instead._

_And to say that man was angry would be an understatement._

_Tenko knows he’s home because of how loudly the front door is slammed. The first thing he does is stomp through the house, throwing his briefcase onto the couch. The brunette is able to hear his loud voice demanding to know where exactly she was, however the conversation that ensues between him and her mother afterwards is too hushed to hear._

_Knowing that Osamu was pissed at her, Tenko attempts an exit through her bedroom window. She had to pick at a ziplock that shut the window tightly (again, she has snuck out this way too many times to count), using a spare pair of scissors hidden underneath her bed, and then began to climb._

_“Ten- Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing!?”_

_Before she can fully move her legs outside, she’s yanked harshly back into her room by her ear._

_“Ow!” She hisses, swatting weakly at the arm which held her, “Stop touching me, idiot!!”_

_“Tenko Chabashira, I have had it up to_ here _with your attitude,” He drops her in the middle of the room. Her mother is once again standing under the doorframe, observing silently with a drink in her hands, “I got a call in the middle of fucking work. Do you understand how embarrassing that is!? How mortifying it was to receive a call in front of all my coworkers saying that my bratty daughter got in some fight with an innocent kid!?”_

_“I don’t care about your stupid work!!” She snaps back, rubbing at her wounded ear._

_Osamu’s fists clench, teeth gritted as he attempts to suppress his wild fury, “You broke his nose, Tenko!! I have to_ pay _for that shit now!”_

_“Good!!”_

_She tries to exit from the conversation, pushing back Kaiya and huffing angrily out towards the hallway. Osamu roughly follows her, her mother trailing quietly behind._

_“Don’t even_ think _about leaving, young lady, because you are_ grounded! _” He turns gruffly back to her mother as Tenko angrily throws her school jacket over a chair, “See, Kaiya, I told you. She’s not going to fit in_ anywhere _in society if she keeps throwing these bratty little tantrums-”_

_“Osamu-” Tenko’s mother tries to interject, flashing worried glances over towards her daughter. She’s trying to tell him to keep this conversation private, to not spill anything in front of the furious brunette._

_“No, I’ve had it! I’ve fucking had it!! I’ve already called the gūji, they’re willing to take her-”_

_“Th-The gūji!? What is that!?” Tenko interrogates, voice loud._

_Kaiya, calmly as ever, plaits her hands over her chest, “A priest, sweetheart. There is a lovely temple just up the mountain-”_

_“What, are you gonna send me away or something!?” Before Osamu is able to reply, Tenko stomps her foot and sneers a childish, “Screw you!!”_

_Osamu’s face wrinkles, contorting as if he had just inhaled the most sour lemon he has ever tasted in his life. He leans down condescendingly, something that Tenko absolutely despised, and raises his index finger in her face._

_“Don’t you raise your tone at me, missy,” He says, voice low and spine-chilling, “I am your_ father. _”_

_It must have been the word ‘father’ that set her off, because the next thing she knows, Tenko has snapped her head forward and chomped viciously at Osamu’s pointed finger. The businessman recoils, hand shaking as he winces, completely shocked for a hot second. Kaiya gasps, but otherwise does nothing to intercede within the situation. The eleven year old feels no triumph, instead a heavy dread overcomes her. She’s done it now. Oh, she’s done it now._

_Osamu’s eyes are wide in fury, body frighteningly still as he clutches his finger. His silence is what worries Tenko the most. It means he’s thinking, means something sinister is stewing inside him. He has exceeded to the next level in his anger, and it always starts with a moment of pause as he stares daggers into his eleven year old step-daughter._

_With no warning, and mouth still sealed tightly closed, Osamu marches forward towards the girl, grabbing firmly her by the arm, and drags her towards the front door. His grip is so strong and harsh that Tenko could already feel the bruises beginning to form, his fingers digging into her skin. As she screams and slams her fists into him, the business man practically throws his daughter out into the gravel driveway._

_“You’re staying out here all night. You hear me!?” He screams, slamming the door behind him._

_Tenko picks herself back up from the ground, running and pounding against the front door. He’s locked it. He’s locked her outside. He’s locked her out in the freezing cold, wearing nothing but her school polo and skirt. And he’s left her there for the night, knowing full well that their house was exposed and vulnerable. Knowing full well that criminals were rampant during the night. Knowing full well that she was an eleven year old girl with no means of protecting herself._

_She shrieks and wails, demanding to be let back in, kicking at the door and doing a full lap around the house to find any unlocked windows. Probably predicting that she would attempt to do that, Osamu had locked all of the windows shut. Tenko does not go quietly. She screams until her voice dies out, cursing and hissing. And as soon as her throat feels dry and hoarse, she lays pathetically on the porch and cries._

_Maybe two hours into being locked outside, school officially ends and all of the kids run home to tell their parents about what Tenko had done that school day. Then the parents get worried, and they call Tenko’s parents to ask what exactly the brunette was thinking. None of them bother to come over, it was only town gossip, spread by bored housewives and mothers. Tenko throwing a punch at a boy in her grade was probably the most exciting thing to happen that day._

_Her mother and Osamu get into an argument about it. Tenko can hear them through the walls. He’s embarrassed of her, again reiterating that she will never be able to ‘fit in’ because she’s too over-active, too angry, too emotional and furious. Her mother is crying, an ugly, wailing sound that Tenko never wants to hear again, muttering and sniffing that he was right, that Tenko was out of her control. Kaiya just lets it happen. She lets Osamu call the priests, lets him take away her daughter._

_Anger boils deep in Tenko’s stomach, the kind so overwhelming and unutterable that the brunette could feel herself violently shaking, and not from the brisk cold. She’s furious. Her cheeks are red hot, her right eye twitching and her head beginning to ache. The arguing in the background fades into white noise, ringing mercilessly in Tenko’s ears, deafening her._

_She’s moving now, involuntarily, feet stomping against the floor and further down the driveway. Her clawed hands reach sharply for a large rock, bigger than her own hand. All inner voices have silenced, replaced by this awful ringing noise, her nails digging into the stone in her palm. Her mind is taunting her, allowing her to hear bits and pieces of her parent’s arguing, adding fuel to the fire._

_“You can stand to get rid of her for a few years. God knows we need that fucking break,” Osamu says. Kaiya agrees complicitly. She hated how she agreed. She hated how she waited for things to blow by. Why didn’t she just take action? Why couldn’t she just act out, for once?_

_Tenko hates how she’s complicit, but she loathes Osamu more. Loathes how he yells at her for no reason. Despises him for taking her own door away from her. Despises him for trying to send her away, despises him for coming into their lives and suddenly thinking he has any say on her wellbeing._

_And she hates her school for suspending her, and not suspending stupid Sousuke. She hates Sousuke. She despises how he yanked at her hair, and annoyed pretty Aika, and tattled on Tenko to her stupid homeroom teacher. She hates him. She hates all of his crew. She hates all of his rugged, stupid male friends because all of them are going to grow up to be just like Osamu. All of them are going to grow up to be just like the criminals and sex offenders in her neighborhood, so she hates them._

_She hates them. She hates boys._

_And just to further prove the extent of her hatred, Tenko turns back around and chucks the rock through the front windõ̻w̟̲͓͛͞͠_

_-=+=-_

_The temple was dumb._

_She woke up, ate breakfast, prayed, ate lunch, prayed, ate dinner, prayed, and went to bed again. She missed school. Or, to be more specific, she missed Aika. There was a sorrow lingering in her heart, each day that passes, wishing to hear from her again. Sousuke and his stupid crew can choke and die for all she cared. She_ doesn’t _miss them._

_The mikos that resided in the temple were kind enough, a lot of them dainty teenagers whose father’s worked as priests, and weren’t exactly too pushy. Instead, they mainly focused on maintaining the shrines, humming lovely songs underneath their breath which calms Tenko down when she’s angry. And that’s often._

_The shinshoku were another question. They had gotten tired of Tenko’s restlessness fairly easily, how she jittered and shuffled when they were silently praying, the way she snapped back when ordered to do things didn’t want to, the way she hissed at the boys when they complimented her on her little achievements during her time there. She was unpredictable and poorly-behaved. The shinshoku needed another tactic, and fast._

_The gūji was a rather gentle old man, aging gracefully and with much peace in his heart. The pair had been drawn to each other, for one reason or another. He had been considerably less pushy than the other priests, rather informative and patient. He understood, in a way, how she was in need of constant activity, something to prevent her from becoming restless, and would often allow early dismissal. Tenko had made the mistake of addressing him as “Master”, perhaps about two months into her stay at the temple, and despite being corrected the name stuck._

_On one particularly gloomy day, Tenko was excused from breakfast, which was WAY too early in her opinion, to join her Master in a separate room. It was a particularly vast area, tatami mats covering the majority of the flooring, bamboo swords encrusted with distracting gold embellishments propped onto the walls._

_“You are very strong, Tenko,” Is the first thing he says as soon as the pair reach the center of the mat, “But very angry. Allowing this anger to fester will only hold dire consequences.”_

_The brunette can’t help but exhale in exasperation, an annoyed eye roll preceding it, “I’ve gotten this speech maybe five a times a day!! I know. I won’t fit into society, blah blah blah.”_

_“I am saying that this may help you. Channelling your energy into aikido may assist in calming your over-activity. We’ll spend a week training, and if you do not like it then we will try something else.”_

_Tenko twitches, meaning to hiss some form of disagreement, but her words hitch in her throat. This does sound the slightest bit exciting. However, from the limited amount of learning she did at school, she was able to focus during her physical education lesson when the teacher showed them the basic movements of aikido. It was excruciatingly slow, and rather boring._

_She voices this to her Master. He hums, gaze hardening as he thinks of what to do._

_“How about this,” He says, right leg rooted behind him as he develops into a fighting stance, “We’ll make the movements faster. Stronger. We’ll train.”_

_She won’t deny that she was having quite a lot of fun with this advanced form of aikido. The first training session was hard. It was painful. But it wasn’t like Tenko hadn’t already experience wors̲̣̺͖̐̍̿͂e̗͂_

_-=+=-_

_Tenko is thirteen. She had learned quickly, remarkably adapting to her new environment and picking up the moves her Master taught with ease and great strength. She was able to grasp this new, much more aggressive form of Neo-Aikido at a remarkable pace, enthusiastic to have something to do. With this new passion of hers came rules: No more than three sweets a day, you’re not allowed to get overly excited on Christmas and Valentine’s Day, you’re not allowed to harm the environment, etc. One time, she discovered that she had accidentally littered, and had cried for like, an hour._

_As part of her training, her Master would take her out during the day to do some simple crime prevention. Unsurprisingly, two years away from her hometown did not help in reducing the high crime rates. Much of her heroic adventures included stuff like taking down burglars, disarming vandalists, helping old ladies cross the street. You know, crime related stuff._

_And, not to be smug, but all of the criminals she stopped were males. So, yes, she believed wholeheartedly that she was right back then when she declared all men were scum, and she’s still right now. Of course, there were some exceptions, she supposes, but they were on such thin ice that if they_ inhaled _incorrectly then they would be dead in her eyes. She sympathized greatly with the females in her town, when they cried in fear or gratitude she would cry with them. Men_ are _awful, she would agree with them. She would agree with anything._

_The thirteen year old thought she knew everything. Thought she had seen the extent of the crime in her neighborhood. Her parents hadn’t said much about it, censored much of the reality from their daughter in some vain hope that Tenko wouldn’t become more rough and violent. All this “man hatred” was supposed to be just some petty illusion, a preteen phase. Something to push her anger onto._

_Her clothing consisted of a traditional aikido gi uniform with a sky blue robe and black, open-ended pants. Not necessarily the most subtle of attire, especially paired with the bamboo sword on her back, but comfortable in it’s own right. Her brunette hair was tied back into a messy yet convenient bun on top of her head, loose strands of her long hair blowing in the night air and smacking her in the face. The lime green face mask around Tenko’s mouth, covering half of her complexion from view, was painted with purple flowers. It seemed wildly inappropriate for a crime fighting outfit._

_“Notice anything, Tenko?” Her Master queries. He steps carefully down the side of the rooftop that she was currently perched on top of, watching vigilantly for anybody she could try her newest Neo-Aikido moves on._

_She huffs lowly, “No… A lot of people are asleep.”_

_“Much happens during the nighttime, Tenko. This is the time when the truly heinous degenerates strike.”_

_Her youthful green eyes twinkle, “I am prepared for anything!! No degenerate stands a chance against us!!”_

_“Well, in that case, we should-”_

_As if cued, a rather high-pitched shriek echoed down the streets and finally reached the roof of the floral shop the pair were crouched on. Tenko brightens, shooting upwards with adrenaline and excitement, finding the drainpipe she had used to climb up towards the roof to make her leaping descent. Despite warnings from her Master to slow down and wait for him, considering he was much older despite his agility, Tenko darted forward towards the sound. Her sandals clapped against the pavement, wind running through her messy hair and threatening to pull the hair tie right out of her head._

_Fighting criminals, or at least the “horrid degenerates” that she usually saw during the day, played into her growing sense of moral justice. That every wrongdoing had to be righted in some way,_ especially _if they were male. That’s why she ran headfirst into danger, headfirst into the screams with her fists brandished and ready to fight. A childlike sense of joy began to sprout on her lips, beaming on her face._

_A familiar sixteen year old turns the corner, running out of the alleyway he had just arrived from and straight into Tenko’s line of view. He held a pocket knife in his hands, from what Tenko could see from his silhouette, ruffling his jacket back over his shoulders and wiping his hands against his pants._

_“Ah,” Tenko starts, face scrunching and crinkling unpleasantly, “Horrible to see you again, Sousuke.”_

_Sousuke squints, his hands trembling out of adrenaline, “Oh-- Pahaha! Tenko!? Didn’t even rec-- I didn’t even recognize you!!”_

_“Surrender now!!” She demands, arm hovering threateningly over the shinai attached to her back, “Or I’ll-- I’ll clomp you in the_ ribs!!”

_He does not surrender, instead charges rather blindly at her with his dinky pocket knife. It’s a short fight that ends the same way it did two years ago: with Tenko clobbering him in the nose and beating him until he’s on the floor. This time, there are no teachers around to tell her off._

_“Stupid… degenerate!!” She swats, kicking him once more in the side in celebration._

_The reality of the situation hasn’t hit her yet. She still doesn’t see the blood on his clothes, only acknowledges that he’s down on the floor and pumps her fists valiantly in the air in triumph. Her Master has passed by, turning silently into the alleyway where the scream had been emitted. Tenko tries to say something, tries to tell him that she got another degenerate to bring in to the local police station with pride. He only drifts by._

_Seconds later, he emerges once more._

_“Tenko, I need you to run to the nearest police station. Alert the neighbors there’s been a horrible accident,” He says, voice firm and commanding. Neither of them had any cell phones to call people with. They never had to, “Go._ Now, _Tenko!”_

_The smile on Tenko’s face falters, slowly dropping. What was he so worried about?_

_“I don’t understand?” She says innocently, running towards the alleyway as her Master gestures for her to keep distance, “Does somebody need help?? I’ll kick ‘em in the ba-- The face!!”_

_“Tenko, n-”_

_It’s way too late. She’s turned the corner._

_The girl on the floor does not look in any way at peace, eyes wide and unblinking. She was around Tenko’s age, with a striking sense of familiarity that the brunette just could not place. She was dead. There was no doubt about that. Nowhere on her body did it look even the slightest bit alive, and considering the copious amount of stab wounds it made sense. The wounds matched a certain blade: the same blade that Sousuke was wielding._

_For some reason Tenko couldn’t stop walking forward. Slowly, and with her face blank. She wasn’t sure what emotion this was, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t a warm feeling, instead chilled her to her very core as she stared onwards._

_The girl on the ground seemed to be staring right back at her. Her eyes were undeniably familiar; the colour of the hydrangea’s Tenko would hide amidst her walls._

_“Aika?” She breathes, voice heavy as she defiantly takes tiny steps forward, “Aik̯̬̃̿a?̥̱̺̆̂̿͌͜_

_-=+=-_

_Tenko Chabashira thinks that men are the most vile things on the planet._

_They are cruel, horrid, violent creatures who will stop at nothing to get what they want, even if their wants are unreasonable and at the expense of innocent females. They are the sole cause of all of the crime in her neighborhood, from the petty ones at day to the mortifyingly horrendous ones at night. She’s seen it all. She knows what they are like. She has never met a single degenerate male who has yet to change her mind, and at this point it is far too late._

_And goddamnit, that does_ not _exclude Korekiyo Shinguji._

_She’s glaring at him, fists clenched at her sides, nails digging so strongly into her palms that she can feel blood starting to bud. The rest of the occupants in the elevator were trying their hardest to separate themselves from the anthropologist, still reeling from his earlier attempted murder confession. Shuichi was scrolling through his monofile. This is perhaps the most confident he’s ever been before a trial. Even if he doesn’t have the entire thing mapped out yet, he’s got a very prominent main suspect._

_Tenko can not be bothered to look at anybody else, blatantly ignoring Himiko’s heavy pity looks and drilling her glare into the back of Korekiyo’s head. She’s straining her gaze so hard that her own head was beginning to hurt._

_The elevator reaches the bottom floor with a heavy clunking noise, rattling the students and throwing off Tenko’s pointed stares. She nearly topples to the ground, so off balanced and shaken, but catches herself just in time. The class silently walked out towards their podiums. Tenko stays behind, recollecting herself._

_Apparently, Himiko decided that staying behind would be the best course of action, as well._

_Indirectly, her eyes narrow and squint, however not at Tenko and rather at the floor._

_“I know it’s him,” The Ultimate Mage whispers. Tenko subtly flinches. This was perhaps the first time Himiko had ever willingly started a solo conversation with the Aikido Master, “_ We _know it’s him.”_

_The mage shuffles out to the trial grounds. Her hair is red like the spider lilies that grew outside the temple. That similarity only deepens the anger rooted in her stomach, further extends the fire rippling through her body. Because there’s something so prominent about the flowers in her life: they all die. Because of degenerates and men and males who think they own everything and are allowed to do whatever they want._

_Because of robbers and murderers and sex offenders, all of the male gender, who run around with no purpose but to wish harm on others. The ones she grew up with, the ones she’s met firsthand. The ones in the academy, who kill and slaughter for no other reason but to hurt. The specific degenerate who had just tried to kill_ her _, for reasons unknown, for reasons that Tenko was unaware of. Females get hurt because of the bratty and stupid ones like Kaito and the manipulative and evil ones like Kokichi. They are everywhere and she hates them._

_She hates them. They won’t leave her alone. Every time she lets her guard drop they pull some shit like this. Every time she lets her guard drop._

_Every time she lets her guard drop, somebody gets hurt. Somebody gets h uṛ̂t̡̝̩͛̓͗_

_So she_

_can’t l͖̞̭̏͌͡e͙͝t̨͎̥̙͛̎̊̌ it happen_

_ag_

  
  
  
  


_a̺͎̐͝ỉ͉̮͔́̕n͔̲͔̾͗͌_

_-=+=-_

The Aikido Master blinks. Tenko Chabashira is ripped back into her surroundings. 

The first thing she notices as she comes bouncing back to reality is the loud, blaring sirens that ring all throughout the academy. She’s standing in a hallway, the same hallway where the seance had taken place, with her feet planted strongly to the ground and bruises littered all over her body. She can’t remember what had happened in order for her to receive a painfully blue and black mark on her abdomen, nor the injury that is slowly healing on her chin. She’s tired, as if she had been in a sparring match before she ran to this hall.

Tsumugi is in front of her, crying, and immediately she feels wild concern. 

_Where is everybody? What’s going on?_

“Tsumugi, what’s wrong?” Tenko asks, running over to console the bluenette over the booming horns, “Where is everybody?”

Tenko is just barely able to miss the Ultimate Cosplayer’s mouth twitching upwards, “I-I don’t know!! These alarms went off and we all split up!!”

Tenko hisses, attempting to recollect where exactly she was and what was happening. What had just happened that would include these trumpeting alarms to go off? She could imagine Kokichi doing something, of course. Any degenerate male could have pulled this off. She could also imagine Miu hijacking into some alarm system…?

“Let’s find the others,” Tenko suggests, kindly moving to lightly push Tsumugi in the right direction by her shoulder, “I’ll make sure to protect you if anything happens!!”

“We- We just plainly can’t!” Tsumugi objects, “It’s Kokichi and Shuichi! They’re the ones behind all of this!”

The Aikido Master straightens. There’s this tiny part of her that flutters with a sense of familiarity, as if in some past life those two had been close to her. However, now, all she could feel was this overwhelming sense of justice. The chance to do something right.

“Here,” The Ultimate Cosplayer says, shoving the flashback light into her hands, “Flash them with this. It’ll confuse them enough so that we can leave!!”

Leave? Confuse? This is all happening way too quickly. There are so many parts of this day that have been skipped over, almost as if Tenko had blacked out and missed all of the events leading up to this point. What was going on!? 

She was just in her dorm room. It was the night directly after the third trial. Then she blinks and suddenly she’s in some random hallway, with Tsumugi sobbing and alarm bells wailing. She’s missed something. Something feels out of place, as if removed from her memory. It hurts to think about, hurts to attempt remembering just what exactly was going on. Everything was too loud, everything was moving too fast.

But at least Tsumugi was a constant. She can trust Tsumugi. 

Blindly, she accepts the flashback light. The Ultimate Cosplayer runs off in some other direction, the way that leads to the dining hall. Tenko Chabashira marches down to the courtyard in a flash of confusion and blurred thoughts. None of her emotions besides pure fury ran deeper than skin-level, all bouncing around in her brain as if the only thing she was allowed to feel was revulsion and hostility. Warmness lingers, something that she has forgotten, however Tenko can’t seem to remember what exactly she had lost and what else she was supposed to be feeling. It was a confusing, confusing state of being. 

But she knows one thing for certain: she feels angry. Much, much angier. And if Tsumugi says that some degenerate males are the masterminds, then it must be true.

She grips the flashback light tightly in her hands, not knowing the true power it holds. 

Tenko Chabashira is back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tsumugi: *resets tenko's character arc despite the broadcast being shut down and the entire killing game going to hell*
> 
> tsumugi: oh hoh hoh...... now, this is epic
> 
> also if you want to yell at me i have a tumblr lmfao its @okthatsgreat !!


	26. i just know, okay!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the killing game is no longer in their control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this update came out REALLY quickly like holy shit................ i wrote the last chapter, took two exams, and then immediately wrote this next one i am a force to be reckoned with and god fears me

“HOW DO WE GET IT TO SHUT UP!?” Kaito bellows over the sirens, hands clasped over his ears.

Maki rolls her eyes. Even though she was also covering her own ears, the Ultimate Astronaut still managed to give her a headache. Remarkable. 

Currently the only two people out in the courtyard consisted of Maki and Kaito, the rest of her classmates wandering aimlessly throughout the academy. It seems the Ultimate Assassin was the only student sensible enough to make her way out to the courtyard, considering it wasn’t Kaito’s idea. When Maki had ran to his dorm, he had only just exited his room from a deep slumber, complaining how the ‘fire alarm’ was too loud. She dragged him to the courtyard because she assumed her classmates would have the common sense to run outside. In a typical emergency, especially at schools, the students would run outside. She assumed wrong.

Maki has yet to tell Kaito of her encounter with Tenko, because there was way too much information she was missing to make any sort of bold accusation of who truly was the mastermind. She had rushed to conclusions before and was, assumably, incorrect. Even that was rocky. Tenko did manage to find the mastermind's lair, which was fairly suspicious. There was little possibility that she had just managed to stumble upon it. The screaming that came from the restroom, which initially alerted Maki of their presence, was also highly suspicious, as well as the blackout. She thought knocking them out for questioning would be the safest option, however now, as the alarms screech and siren, she was uncertain. 

K1-B0 runs out into the courtyard, sprinting towards the pair with a finger in each “ear”. 

“I’ve found Himiko!” They shout over the noise, “But she refuses to move!”

“What do you  _ mean _ , she refuses to move!?” Kaito barks.

K1-B0 straightens, “She said it was too hard?? I consistently asked her why she would not move but she kept telling me it was ‘such a pain’.”

The Ultimate Assassin finds herself raising an eyebrow. Odd. She hasn’t heard that phrase since before the third trial.

“Well, carry her!” Kaito commands.

“I-- Just because I am a robot, does not mean I hold any kind of inhumane strength!!”

Maki releases a heavy sigh, “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Her classmates sputter in objection, especially Kaito, who argues that he was perfectly capable of doing it. However, considering how poorly he was doing during breakfast it was highly unlikely. This was a nice opportunity to find the others, anyways, since nobody bothered to show up to the courtyard. 

It was slightly concerning how Tenko wasn’t with Himiko when K1-B0 had found them. The last time she saw the pair they were undoubtedly clutching each other with no intent of letting go. And on another note, she had no clue where Tsumugi or Kokichi was. But to be fair, that was most of the time.

Maki barely had a chance to step in the direction that K1-B0 had come from before Kokichi came running in, panting and yelling.

“Run, Makiroll!” He wheezes. It’s not super serious, but at the same time the Ultimate Supreme Leader never was, “She’s going to kill us all!!”

Tenko speeds closely behind him. It was clear he had gotten a head start, by how much was uncertain, but she was starting to catch up. In her hands was a flashback light. Instead of holding it in a way that could easily flash somebody, she was instead gripping it over her head, ready to bring it down on Kokichi’s skull. Despite Maki beating her up just moments prior, she seemed rather energetic.

“Come back here, degenerate!!!” She screeches, a childlike energy running through her that seemed very inappropriate for the situation at hand. 

Maki steps in front of her, grabbing sharply at the arm which held the flashback light. She wasn’t necessarily  _ against _ Kokichi getting smacked around a little, however it wasn’t the time. Also, definitely not with such an important object such as a  _ flashback light _ , one that she has never seen before.

“Where did you get that?” The Ultimate Assassin asks, her tone pointed. She chooses to ignore their scuffle in the mastermind’s hideout. Now was not the time to discuss it.

“Oh, this?” Tenko gestures with the light, waving it around like some toy. Maki has to yank it from her hands before she accidentally flashed someone, “Tsumugi gave it to me!! However!! I don’t know how to use it.”

There was a switch on the side, but it was probably best that the Aikido Master didn’t know that.

“Why would Tsumugi give you this?” Maki growls quietly. It’s a miracle that Tenko was able to hear her over the sirens, “Where is she?”

“She told me that Kokichi and Shuichi were the masterminds,” Her voice is low and excited, however very determined, “She told me to use the light but I can’t do that, so I’m gonna beat them up!!”

“Shuichi and Kokichi? Aren’t you… working with them?”

Tenko flares in confusion and shock, “ _ Huh!? _ I would  _ never _ work with two degenerate males!! If I ever gave you that impression, I am very sorry!”

Suddenly, the sirens came to a halting stop. The lights returned to normal, which Maki had to briefly adjust to, the sudden quiet giving both the girls a whiplash. There’s no doubt something had happened during that time, and there was no saying whether somebody had manually switched them off or something major had just occurred for them to stop flashing. As the white lights settled in, the assassin could fully see what exactly she was holding in her hands. It was a bulky flashlight, rectangular and with little flourish to it, almost like a small spotlight you’d find in a theatre. A white sticker had been scratched hastily off, giving it a rushed, unfinished look. One that completely contrasted the overall vibe that the academy gave off.

The sticker still had certain legible parts to it, but it was in English, anyways. Pointless for her to try.

“...Did Tsumugi have this in her hands? When you met her?”

“Um….” Tenko squints as if she was trying to remember something, her face scrunching and melding as if experiencing a wide range of emotions, “....No? Yes? I can’t…… remember……”

“You can’t remember?” Maki quips.

“Nope!! Um-- So I’m just, uh--” She shakes her head, trying to jump over this sudden memory loss, “Kokichi!! Yeah, I gotta kick his butt!!”

Before she’s able to sprint, Maki grips her arm again. Tenko winces, rolling her sleeves up, and looks noticeably baffled at the bruises that litter her forearms. She’s looking at them as if she wasn’t standing in front of her assailant, the exact person who  _ gave  _ her those bruises in the first place.

“... What’s the last thing you remember?” Maki quizzes gravely. 

The assassin watches as she stumbles and stutters over her words, facial expression once more contorting as Tenko stares at the ceiling, at the floor, at any place besides Maki’s eyes. 

“Trial?” She answers. It’s almost a question.

The fact that she didn’t answer “fighting you!” or “finding the mastermind’s lair, you were there, remember?” was incredibly alarming. 

“Which one?” The Assassin asks for clarification, “How many trials have happened?”

She’s almost tempted to hold up two fingers, with how disoriented Tenko is, just to clarify she’s seeing things correctly.

“Um… Three? No-- Stuff definitely happened in between. Something has-- Um, there was--”

That seals it. Something has definitely happened with Tenko’s memory. And there were a lot,  _ too _ many signs pointing at Tsumugi and this rusty flashback light having something to do with it. It’s almost as if the Aikido Master realized it too, almost as if she  _ knew _ she was forgetting something. 

“Where did you last see Tsumugi?” Maki asks.

“Near the… u-um, the seance room. She headed off towards the dining hall.”

“The dining hall?” Maki clarifies, eyes widening, “You mean, near the mastermind’s lair?”

“You found the mastermind’s lair!?” Tenko replies in astonishment. The assassin nearly rolls her eyes, but the shock stops her in her tracks.

“No…” She lies through her teeth, “No, we didn’t. Um, one more thing-”

“Yes, anything!” Tenko replies.

“Just turn around for one sec?”

“Okay!”

Tenko obliviously turns around, blindly trusting the ruby-eyed girl. It was all for the best, because Maki was finally able to succeed in hitting the Aikido Master’s vagus nerve and knocking her out.

-=+=-

Tenko wakes up and she’s in a room she’s been in before, yet has no recollection of ever being in. 

Everything pieced together seemed incredibly familiar, yet so far away at the same time. Red velvet luxury couches, black and white checkered flooring, a massive computer screen in the far back. Pipes thrown on the floor, a pink paint bucket kicked against the wall, scraps of paper thrown carelessly on the floor. What was unfamiliar, or at what she thought was unfamiliar, was the pile of bags and food in the far corner. It looked almost as if they were purposefully hoarding, as if this was a bunker of some kind.

Her classmates were huddled silently, scattered around the area. Kaito and Maki were leaning against a wall, and K1-B0 was sitting politely on one of the couches. Kokichi was tapping mercilessly at the computers, attempting to get it to work. Shuichi was standing, mouth moving but words muffled in Tenko’s ears, hands moving wildly. He was describing something, explaining his final answer like the finale of a class trial, to his unaware classmates. Himiko had fallen asleep.

“As you can see, it’s fairly clear that those flashback lights could change our memory-- There’s no saying what is true and what is false,” Shuichi’s voice rings in Tenko’s ears. The detective, upon seeing her slowly blink awake, moves to greet her, “Oh, Tenko, you’re awake!”

As soon as he steps towards her she hisses uncomfortably, moving to lunge however quickly notices that she is incapable. She’s chained to a metal chair, using handcuffs most likely acquired from Ryoma Hoshi’s Ultimate Research Lab. 

“Hey, wh--  _ Hey!!”  _ She hisses, thrashing and scraping the chair around. Her entire class shushes her in unison, “Don’t  _ shush me, you’ve tied me to a chair!!” _

“Don’t worry, it’s all part of Himiko’s magic act!” Kokichi giggles, spinning around in his wheely chair. It’s so high off the floor that his feet dangle over the side.

Shuichi tries to say something to the rather agitated Aikido Master, however he is abruptly stopped by Maki waving her hand dismissively.

“Tenko,” She says sharply, “You’ve lost some of your memory.”

The brunette blinks harshly, “I-- Huh!?”

“They tried to erase you finding out about the mastermind’s lair. It’ll come back. I think. But right now is not the time to get angry,” At her odd demand, Tenko flusters and pales, “We are dealing with something much bigger than all of us.”

At that last phrase, Maki gestures rather casually in front of her. Tsumugi has also been tied to a metal chair, hands cuffed behind her, head lulling down in unconsciousness. And everybody seemed okay with it!?!? Nobody was objecting to these two girls being tied up!?!?

Kokichi spins so rapidly in his spinny chair that it made the Aikido Master dizzy, “ _ Jeez _ , Tenko! You don’t remember me throwing a bomb at you? How about me sending an army of samurais to kill Himiko? None of that ringing a bell?”

For  _ some _ odd reason, him ‘throwing a bomb’ at her DID ring some bells… However she still scowls deeply at the purple menace.

“Turn back around,” Maki directs. Kokichi yips a cheerful ‘okay, boss!’ and spins back around, again tapping rapidly at the computers, “Tenko. Think hard about this: Does the name ‘Isobe’ sound familiar?”

Tenko is so baffled by this absolutely bewildering situation that the first thing she does is release a prolonged, appalled noise from the back of her throat. 

“Nnn…….no???” She hums, clanging at her handcuffs. Oh, god. She’s forgotten how much she hates sitting still. Oh god. Oh, this is not good.

“See? Her memory is gone,” Maki whispers at Kaito, who clenches his teeth grimly, “Isobe was the dude who called.”

“Alright, we’ll ask Tsumugi, then,” Shuichi concludes, “We also need answers about the flashback light. And certain documents.”

“Well, you’ve got plenty of time to translate!” Kaito encourages. Tenko continues to jump and clash against her restraints. Translate  _ what? _ Plenty of time for  _ what? _

There’s a lump forming in the bottom of her throat, one that clashes heavily with the amount of anger she’s feeling in her gut. She’s so confused, yet at the same time she knows so much. Looking over at Himiko only furthers this awful feeling in the bottom of her stomach. The mage’s eyes were puffy, despite her rather peaceful expression. She had been crying before Tenko woke up. If she was as confused as the Aikido Master, it makes sense. Everything was rushing too quickly, meddling the lines between what was real and what was fake.

“Kokichi, any progress?” Shuichi asks, leaning over the supreme leader’s shoulder.

“ _ Where are we!?” _ Tenko hisses, hopping in her chair. There are scuff marks on the floor, “WHY IS MY HAIR SHORT.”

“None yet, Shumai!!! Be patient, jeez!!” Kokichi sighs dramatically at the detective.

“The mastermind’s hidden room,” Maki answers for Tenko, “And keep your voice down. We’re hiding.”

“Hiding!?” Tenko asks.

“We’re getting close to leaving, Tenko. We just need to solve a few more unanswered questions and stay here. Maybe for a little while.” Shuichi says hopefully, however he recoils slightly at Tenko glaring at him. The detective had thought they made progress, and was disheartened at seeing it erased so easily, “I know you’re angry, and I know you’re confused. But this flashback light isn’t permanent, I promise. It’s just a setback.”

“You  _ promise? _ ” She spits, “That’s not much, coming from a  _ degenerate!! _ ”

“The…… The sticker on the flashback light says ‘work in progress: effects not permanent’,” He reads blatantly, pointing at the abandoned rusty flashback light sitting on the work desk, “It was a last minute attempt to get everything back in order.”

It sounded true, and everything coming from the Ultimate Detective  _ should _ be true, right? Her memories were not coming back quickly, instead were slivering back through her spine uncomfortably. 

“And so, the Clown Crusade takes its fall,” Kokichi laments, hand mockingly over his heart, “But come on, Karate Kid, hiding out here will be fun!! It’s like a sleepover, but we don’t ever get to leave! And I make multiple attempts at murdering you in the middle of the night!! Funsies!”

_ Clown Crusade?  _ Tenko hisses, a sudden headache pulsing in her temples.  _ And since when did he call me… Karate Kid….? _

“You remembered that, right?” Shuichi asks, eyes brightening. Tenko’s mouth hangs open, eyebrows furrowed, but nonetheless she hesitantly nods, “See? It’ll come back to you.” 

There was no way she was about to agree with a  _ degenerate _ out loud, so instead she’ll defiantly huff and growl and hiss and jump around until she’s wiggled her way out of her restraints. Now that she thinks about it, this was most definitely the reason why she was tied up. They knew that she would try to hurt people. Or, at least, try to hurt the degenerates. Who she was really… angry about for some odd reason. Why was she angry again?

_ Wait, that doesn’t matter!! Because she hates them!! _

_ Yeah… right? _

_ Yeah!!!! _

“And, another plus side: This is a very important clue about the killing game,” Shuichi gestures, “It proves that our memories can be removed and rewritten.”

“Nothing- Nothing’s been  _ rewritten _ ,” She scowls, “Those were  _ my  _ memories!!”

“We don’t know  _ exactly _ what you saw, but at least something good came out of it! We’re getting closer!” Kaito tries to reason.

Tenko stares at him sharply for a few moments, “.... I feel the overwhelming urge to punch you in the throat.”

“That might also be because of the flashback light,” Shuich says softly, gently breaking up the harsh glare between Kaito and Tenko, “So until those effects wear off, we’re just gonna have you in that chair… okay?”

“No!! Not okay!!” Tenko swats, but they don’t listen to her because everybody already has made up their mind. 

Now that she looks around, it did look slightly cozy. The lights have been dimmed to be less intense, which helped with the eye strain of the checkered flooring and the electric blue computer screens. While the atmosphere was pretty tense, it wasn’t overwhelming as they reached another comfortable silence. With two out of eight asleep, and the noisiest of them all working hard to hack into the computer (a talent that Tenko was unaware Kokichi had), the rest of them sat still, quietly chattering and debating. It was occasionally interrupted by Tenko twitching in her chair, but that couldn’t be helped so they didn’t say much.

It’s not long until Maki pulls up a chair of her own, placing it down in front of the Aikido Master and beginning a long explanation, whether or not Tenko liked it.

“Most of this I got from Shuichi,” She begins, almost as if stating that if anything was inaccurate it was his fault, “After the third class trial, you and him would meet up in the middle of the night to discuss things. I guess you became friends that way,” Tenko’s heart swells slightly at the mention of friends, however still the feeling is cold, “Meanwhile, Miu was building a Virtual World for us to find the secret of the outside world. Little did we know, she had planned to murder Kokichi,” The Aikido Master blinks rapidly, bewildered, “She died. Gonta had killed her, and then someone else had killed Gonta.”

“A little harsh, don’t you think, Makiroll?” Kaito winces. 

“It’s the truth,” She shrugs, “After that, you worked with Shuichi and Kokichi to take down Tsumugi, who may be behind all of this. We aren’t sure if she’s the true ‘mastermind’ yet.”

“Apparently, you and Maki met up here and someone named ‘Isobe’ rang on this-” Shuichi pauses explaining to hold up a modern cell phone, “He said that the ‘broadcast’ was being shut down, and that’s what led to the alarms going off. We’re not sure what happened during that time.”

“Monokuma and the Monocubs have been shut down,” Maki points out. Shuichi points, a tiny gesture saying ‘ _ yes, that happened, she’s right’ _ .

“Right. And then after we all gathered in the courtyard, Maki tells us that Tsumugi was hiding in here, so we all took over this place. She was trying to do something with the alarm system, so Kokichi is finding information on the computer,” He gestures to the supreme leader, who flips him off facetiously, “And I’m translating some documents,” In Shuichi’s hands is a notebook, already scrawled with translations and observations.

“I’ve managed to disable the cameras!” K1-B0 cheers from where he sat. It explains why the corners of the hideout had blast marks on them; the robot had shot at them until they were dismantled. It must have been slightly alarming for the cosplayer, for the Ultimate Robot to suddenly barge into where she was hiding and begin violently shooting at the walls.

Tenko can only blink, slowly, allowing this information to seep in slowly as she shifts uncomfortably in her restraining chair.

“... We fought, right? I’m getting the feeling that we fought,” The Aikido Master slurs slowly at the Ultimate Assassin, but quickly tries to backtrack, “Not implying that we  _ would _ fight because girls needs to stick together I’m just saying that I got the feeling that we fought and also I’ve got bruises basically everywhere so-”

“Yes, we did.” Maki nods. Kaito mutters a disappointed ‘ _ dude….’ _ from next to her, which the assassin looks fairly disheartened at.

“Who won?” Kokichi asks, voice deep like an announcer, “Who’s next? You decide!”

Without Tsumugi awake to comment, the reference flies over everybody’s heads.

“...Nobody, right?” Tenko asks, making soft eye contact with Maki, who was shifting her gaze guiltily, “The alarm went off.”

The assassin nods. Whether the Aikido Master was intentionally keeping the fact that she had threatened Himiko a secret or if she just genuinely forgot was lost to her.

“I don’t get it?” Tenko asks, voice high in question, “Why would… Why would they remove my memories… if it wasn’t going to be permanent?” Sudden anger pulses through her as her restlessness increases, “This  _ sucks!!  _ Also, I  _ don’t believe you!! _ ”

“We won’t know everything until Tsumugi wakes up,” Kaito answers, but then squints at her, “Hey, do you remember punching me?”

“I can’t believe you are still not over this,” Maki groans, eyes rolled upwards to the ceiling. 

“I  _ am! _ I’m ju-- Nevermind.” He dismissively waves his hand at Tenko, “Forget it. Err-- _ Don’t _ forget it.”

Tenko huffs, annoyed, her leg tapping repeatedly. This sucks. This sucks this sucks this  _ sucks. _

The computer dings from where Kokichi is sitting. The Ultimate Supreme Leader has been intently observing one screen in particular. From where Tenko was sitting, she could just barely see the number 5298. Most of the other screens, with flashing logos that read “Team Danganronpa”, have been shut down or are currently unavailable.

“Ope!!” Kokichi chirps, spinning himself to face the flashing screen, “Something’s happening.”

Shuichi leans forward, “Hm. It’s the ‘A’ symbol again.”

“I don’t know what that meeeeeaaaaaannnnsssss…” Tenko complains sourly, wringing her hands together in restlessness, “My head hurrrrrttttttssssss….”

Maki slaps Kaito’s arm, “Go get her some painkillers.”

“Wha- Why  _ me? _ ”

“I’m busy.” The assassin deadpans. Kaito looks at her where she sits, on the floor, with nothing in her hands.

“I won’t accept anything from a  _ degenerate _ !!” Tenko sneers, “I would rather have a migraine, thank you!!”

Shuichi sighs, turning towards the busy Kokichi, who was now taking pictures of foreign documents using his monopod.

“Maybe a group sleepover was a bad idea.” The detective exhales.

-=+=-

_ Isobe leans backwards in his chair, hands lazily slapped over his face in exasperation. Around him, bustling noise and furious chatter. Now that the broadcast was down, nobody knew what to do. Employees from the Character Design Station lounged anxiously with the Execution Department, the Monokuma Operators sat around and waited for anything to happen. Nobody in Team Danganronpa had any idea what was going on. Had no clue what was supposed to happen next. _

_ A lanky intern, around Tsumugi’s age, shuffles down the noisy hallways, turning a corner towards the “Story Management” department where Isobe resides. With only one person in the cubicle, it was rather small, pictures of family members attached to create a more homely feel. _

_ “Sir, there’s going to be a delay in Project Blackout,” The intern starts, further increasing Isobe’s agitation, “We’ve got a few problems.” _

_ Isobe groans, “God, what is it now?” _

_ “We’ve exceeded the maximum amount of times the blackout light can be used, any more would just throw even more complications in the script. We’re asking the Director if we’re allowed any exceptions but that might take a few hours. Or days.” _

_ “Wh-Who the hell is using a flashback light!?” Isobe exclaims in shock, rustling through the security cameras. Many of them have been shut down entirely or damaged by that stupid robot. Who was the idiot that designed him with fucking lasers!? _

_ “I don’t know, man. Tsumugi grabbed it but the cameras got shut off. Anyways, it got used two times, and that's way more than we bargained for so the blackout department isn’t allowing us to reset anything just yet.” _

_ “Tsumugi gr-” Isobe slams two fists against his desk, hissing, “God  _ damnit,  _ Shirogane!! Always  _ such _ a pain in our asses, huh?” _

_ “Um…. I’m not too sure, dude…. I’m just an intern………” _

_ Isobe releases a heavy, prolonged sigh, rolling his eyes at the intern, “Just-- Are they still in the hidden room?” _

_ “Yes, sir. We’re trying to fix the cameras but it’s unlikely we’re going to get any visual footage without one of the crew members entering the killing game.” _

_ “And-- The flashback light, any clue who was affected?” _

_ “Chabashira and Yumeno, sir.” At the sight of Isobe slightly brightening, the intern follows quickly with, “It was the work in progress light, sir. The one we were planning to use on Tojo? Tsumugi still had it, apparently, so the effects aren’t permanent.” _

_ Isobe very nearly starts screaming, “....Great! Awesome, that is just so-- Okay. Great, so she’s just erased their memories with no real purpose or reason. Awesome!” _

_ The intern shifts uncomfortably, eyes shifting to anything else that wasn’t Isobe’s eyes. He looks over at the scribbled drawings, presumably made by a child, at the passing women in deep conversation about the state of their occupation and whether or not it was in jeopardy, at the dull white colours of the office. _

_ “Sit down, son. It’s not as if you’ll be doing anything any time soon.” Isobe gestures, pushing an empty chair over towards him. The teenager hums in gratitude and politely sits down, “What department are you planning on working in?” _

_ “Oh, this one for sure, sir. I’ve been a Danganronpa fan ever since the earliest seasons, I’d just love to watch it all happen,” The intern peers over Isobe’s shoulder to watch what limited cameras there are left, “This is certainly not like anything I’ve ever seen before…” _

_ “You keep in contact with your friends? Heard anything?” _

_ The teen shuffles nervously, “I-I mean… Not really, man. It’s nothing-” _

_ “Be honest.” _

_ “They said it’s getting really strange. And all of them really hate Chabashira, haha. They were pretty pissed about the sudden shutdown,” He scratches at his head, “But… up until the whole seance thing, they really liked it! Y’know I’m not allowed to tell them about all of the technical difficulties behind the scenes, so…” _

_ The pair return to brief silence as Isobe quickly double checks if anything has moved on the surveillance cameras. The group were still in the hidden room, blocked from Team Danganronpa’s view. A chat screen located on the right of the screen illustrated all of the other departments frantically assessing the situation, checking up on the character’s vitals and attempting to piece together a solution so they could continue the season. All of the characters were in relatively okay health, maybe besides Kaito (for obvious reason), and Maki and Tenko (who were bruising from a fight scene that was NOT intentional).  _

_ “... People have been talking about just… shutting this season down,” The intern says, “Uh, any news on that?” _

_ Isobe shrugs harshly, “I haven’t heard anything. It’d sure be a waste, but with how everything’s going…. Somebody’d need to convince the Director, and that’s not gonna be an easy feat.” _

_ Of course none of THEM were going to convince the Director, everybody needed this job. It would have to be an outside source. _

_ “Oh… Alright, thanks, sir,” The teen says. _

_ “Yeah, no problem. Now, scram, will you? I’ve got stuff to manage.” _

_ The intern nods firmly and quickly scuffles away. Back in the chat screen, members of the Execution Department threaten to quit over the lack of recognition of their work during the last trial. The Cyber Security Team is panicking and flustering, and the Social Media Team are all exasperated and borderline suicidal over how many complaints they have received. Their job was most likely the hardest: having to explain why the broadcast was being shut down abruptly. People all over the world were watching this season live. This awful, deteriorating mess of a season. _

_ Maybe shutting it down was for the best. Surely if they just canceled this mess, redesigned their characters, and shoved them into another game, this whole problem would be gone, right? What does ‘canceling’ even entail for the remaining cast members? Will they return to the real world, with their memories intact? Will the Director find some bullshit way to kill them all, starting over with a blank slate? _

_ Would the watchers be okay with that? Would those 5298 people, the readers, be okay with that? _

_ Well, it all depends on the next course of action, Isobe supposes. The killing game was no longer in their hands.  _

_ It was in somebody else's. _

_ -=+=- _

[ http://www.strawpoll.me/20238030 ](http://www.strawpoll.me/20238030)


	27. i want to believe in her, no matter what!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tenko and himiko spend some time mapping out forgotten memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *the majority of you guys vote to let tenko and himiko regain their memories* 
> 
> ah, so you have chosen..................... fluff.

> function_computerchat = enabled

> <user.tdkillinggamedevision> is online!

> <user.author> is online!

> <user.reader> is online!

<user.author> says: hello?

<user.author> says: who is this? i thought tsumugi was incapacitated 

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: that’s right! who is this?

<user.author> says: i thought i asked you first

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: i asked you second

<user.author> says: i know you’re at the computer, kokichi

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: oh, so you *are* watching us! thats weird, i thought the cameras were off….

<user.author> says: your captors are not watching, however we are not associated with them

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: well, isn’t that just awfully suspicious >:0

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: we?

<user.author> says: unimportant rn

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: hey, there are three people in this chat! whomst is that

<user.author> says: yes

<user.author> says: we have important advice

<user.tdkillingamedevision> says: what if i………. don’t want it

<user.author> says: i

<user.author> says: listen, we don’t have much time. my readers have advice for your next course of action to take. please note that your captors are weakening and you will be able to make your next move soon

<user.author> says: also real quick how did you enable this chat

<user.tdkillinggamedevision>: well i was TRYING to locate the nuclear bomb codes but whatever this is fine ig…………..

<user.author> says: okay whatever that’s not important 

<user.author> says: take note that this advice may involve your other classmates. please be willing to communicate this to them

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: thank you, author! very cool!

<user.author> says: is that a yes

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

<user.reader> is typing…

**< user.reader> says: take it slow. let himiko and tenko regain their memories before initiating any form of communication with your captors.**

-=+=-

Night falls.

At some point before dark, Kokichi had rather abruptly declared that the investigation was ‘too hard’ and stubbornly refused to examine any further. That severely limited what the class was able to do, as much of the investigation revolved around the computer which only Kokichi was able to properly navigate. It was at least unlocked now, so anybody could tap around at some loose files, however much of the actual important information was hidden behind firewalls and protective coding. _And_ it was in English, meaning that only Shuichi, Kaito, and _somewhat_ Kokichi could translate. Once the Ultimate Supreme Leader conked out for the night, everybody else decided the day was over.

Shifts were established during the nighttime (Maki’s idea), to keep an eye on those restrained in their chairs and also on the computers if anything were to happen. Kaito offered to take the first shift and Shuichi took the second, as he was usually awake during that time anyways. 

Kaito falls asleep within the first ten minutes of his shift beginning.

It was surprising that _any_ of them managed to sleep, to be perfectly honest, with how loudly Tenko was rattling in her metal seat. K1-B0 was charging, leaned against a wall with his eyes closed. The robot had once said they didn’t need to be unconscious while recharging, however upon noticing the rest of the class sleeping they decided to follow suit. Kokichi lies face-down on the work desk. Shuichi had fallen asleep perhaps for the first time in a while, shifting uncomfortably while dreaming but too far in deep slumber to awaken. Maki also occasionally jerks violently from where she slumbers on a velvet couch, face contorted and hardened. 

Tsumugi had no choice, in that matter, of whether or not she was allowed to be awake. She’s been out for a while now. Tenko’s no doctor, but her guess is Maki hit her very hard. Yes. That seems… realistic.

The silence of the room only increases the Aikido Master’s restlessness. There was nothing to distract herself from this overwhelming urge to move and scream. A wedge had lodged itself into her throat and threatened to spill over in the form of hot, agitated tears. Wow, she hated sitting still. And her head _still_ hurt. That may have been her fault, because she refused to take anything a _degenerate_ gave her.

It may also be the slow, yet increasingly aching memories returning to her. Dang, couldn’t have Tsumugi chosen any other method to temporarily incapacitate her? Because this stinks!!!!!!!! And she’s angry and tired and annoyed and agitated and she needs to punch something!!!!!!!! She needs to _throw a rock through a window!!!!!!!!_

Her chair scuffs against the floor again and she feels bad. There are girls here who are trying to sleep. Just because she’s incapable of napping, doesn’t mean she can be noisy and rude. She needs to be considerate of her female classmates. 

_And Shuichi really needs this sleep, too…_ A faint, distant thought comes. It is immediately shoved down and repressed. It came so quickly and violently that Tenko might just straight up hurl. What would they do then? They don’t have cleaning supplies. Maybe they should have grabbed cleaning supplies.

_Cleaning supplies? Cleaning supplies? Cleaning supplies in the utility closet? Closet? Closet closet closet?_

“Psst.”

Tenko flinches at the noise and turns around. Himiko was unhurriedly approaching the chair, tiny feet tiptoeing gently around the unconscious Kaito so as to not wake him up. 

The Mage was looking slightly worse for wear, eyes sullen and dull, her movements lagging and sluggish. Nevertheless, she manages her way over to the Aikido Master, stationing herself near the metal chair.

“I have this,” She whispers, fishing a tiny, practically invisible pin out of her jacket’s inner pocket.

Tenko raises an eyebrow, voice hushed, “What is that?”

“My magic wand. I can get you out of your handcuffs with this,” She replies. The Aikido Master’s eyes widen in astonishment, feeling increasingly jittery at the prospects of Himiko talking to her and actually _using_ her magic to help her.

Another, colder voice tells her to _back off, keep your space. Remember the conversation you had._ Which sucks, because she _can’t_ remember the conversation. 

“I-I don’t want you to get in trouble, Himiko!” She whispers, hands instinctively rattling, “You heard them. Also, I am very angry!! Not at you, just in general!!!!!! And confused!!!”

“Join the club,” The redhead sighs, “Apparently I was out in the hallway, and Tsumugi ran by and flashed me with the flashback light.”

“Yes, same with me!! Weird!!” Tenko agrees, “I barely even remember it… happening.”

“...Yeah…” Himiko hums, wincing only slightly at the increasing volume of the Aikido Master, “Hey, if I release you… you’re not gonna hurt anybody… right?”

Releasing Tenko from her handcuffs gave the brunette every opportunity to attack the sleeping boys, the same degenerates who chained her to a chair in the first place. It was what her body was telling her to do, what every muscle _wanted_ her to do, almost as if it was the only sentiment she was allowed to feel. But somehow, even though she (supposedly) wasn’t that close with Himiko, the mage made her feel calmer. More grounded, attached to the earth. 

“...No,” Tenko promises, “No, I-I won’t.”

“You’re sure?”

“I won’t. Yeah.”

Himiko taps the tiny pin against her fingers and begins picking at the handcuffs. Tenko does not look behind, at the mage’s request, fully believing that magic was being used to uncuff her. In reality, Himiko had lodged the pin into the handcuffs, activating the emergency release, and freed the Aikido Master.

As soon as she’s out of the metal chair, Tenko stretches and jumps and shakes her hands free of the aching feeling, excited to finally move again.

“Thanks!!” She whispers gratefully, to which the Ultimate Mage shrugs.

“Let’s move over there, I want to talk to you,” Himiko gestures at one of the velvet couches in the far right of the room, far away from where the class had huddled for sleep. With how sluggish and slow-moving the mage was being, it was surprising that she wasn’t asleep as well, “But hold a second, I’m gonna steal snacks from the pile.”

Tenko giggles softly and allows the Ultimate Mage to shuffle over towards the left corner of the room, where bags filled with food and medical items were stacked. After acquiring a bag of rainbow colored gummy bears, the pair take a seat on opposite ends of a red chaise longue. Himiko reclines lazily backwards while Tenko sits at the edge of the couch, bouncing her leg noiselessly.

“So, you have short hair now…” Himiko drawls as a means of beginning conversation. She picks open the bag as silently as possible and positions it in between them.

Tenko rakes fingers through her hair, “Yeah, I guess so! It’s… a little weird.”

“No, I like it,” Himiko replies slowly, “Suits you.”

The Aikido Master flusters, face growing red hot as she nervously reclines inwards, “U-Uh, thank! Thank you, it really-- It’s n-” Suddenly, a sudden reminder interfered with her line of thought, “Hey, did _you_ do this?”

“Nyeh?”

“I mean… cut my hair? I don’t know, I just all of the sudden had this impulse that you cut my hair or something?? It might not-”

“Nyeh… actually, I kinda do…” Himiko agrees, reaching over to take a gummy from the bag. Tenko follows suit, taking slow, leisurely bites out of a singular gummy bear, “With… The um….. There were scissors right?”

“Yeah! Yes, there were!”

“Really?” Himiko asks, eyes brightening in excitement, “Oh, then we _did_ have a conversation in my Research Lab!”

Tenko taps her knees repeatedly, a silent gesture saying ‘ _yes! yes, I remember that!!’_ as she swallows the rest of her food. Slowly, _very_ slowly, they begin to map out what exactly took place, pieces of their memories coming back until they’ve fully remembered the conversation. It was about… Angie? Was that it? Tenko distinctly remembers telling the mage that Angie had given her a few ‘warnings’, which then led to Himiko cutting her hair with those Cut-No-Cut Scissors, which then led to…

“I need to write this down,” Tenko says, frantically searching from where she sat for any sort of notebook or paper, “I need visuals.”

She ends up snatching one of the school notebooks that Shuichi was working with, as well as two pencils she managed to find while scavenging through the documents on the work desk, avoiding the urge to swat Kokichi. Tenko turns around and Himiko’s eyes are closed, peacefully resting as the Aikido Master searches for a pen and paper. Upon sensing the brunette returning, her copper eyes shoot open again. 

Tenko remembers her being tired, but at the same time can also remember a time when she had more energy. Surely it must have been during the blank parts of her memory. How cruel it was, to remove all liveliness from the mage and leave her with this exhausted state. In a sense, Tenko was lucky to be left with _some_ emotion, even if it was negative, but being left drowsy and weary would be awful.

“Alright, let’s start from the beginning,” The Aikido Master whispers, scratching her pencil violently against the notebook.

“Nyeh… you write… so loudly….” Himiko whispers back, jokingly, “Here, I’ll write. Let’s start with the flashback light, what did you remember?”

 _Oh, jeez._ This was right before Tsumugi began sobbing in the middle of the hallway, so it must have been the sudden influx of memories that involved random yet conveniently harrowing snippets of her childhood. All of the moments that led up to her aggressive, overwhelmingly sapphic, man-hating personality. Very convenient, indeed.

“Just my childhood,” She shrugs vaguely. Himiko nods, beginning two columns that start with ‘childhood’.

“Yep, me too…” The mage sighs drearily. Tenko hums. Something about her melancholy tone struck familiarity in the Aikido Master.

“Oh, right!! You were bullied!!” The brunette says _way_ too enthusiastically, before slapping her hands over her mouth. _Idiot!!!!!! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!?_ , “I-I mean-- That was so insensitive, I really didn’t mean to--”

“Nyeh, it doesn’t matter that much… That just means I trusted you enough to tell you. It was during that ‘Go Fish’ game, right?”

The mage begins writing in ‘Go Fish’ in the middle of their timeline of events, scribbling faintly underneath it what she remembers of the conversation. Tenko makes tiny inputs of what she remembers: her shaking hands, the way her stomach flipped, the way her legs refused to move in fear of what was considered, at the time, inevitable. She remembered clearly the way that Himiko had made her feel safe, made her feel as if she was still on the earth and not in some far away place. And then immediately after that, somebody had died, right? Was it… Miu? 

“My head already hurts,” The mage complains. Tenko nods. This was straining.

When both of them began blanking for answers, they started doodling. Himiko scrawls hearts in the margins of the notebook and Tenko draws stick figures in battle as they chat. It was calming, despite this rather terrifying situation they were in where neither of them knew of what was bound to happen.

“Do you remember the student council?” The mage chortles, drawing another heart over a doodle of a witch’s hat, “That was before the time period we lost all of our memories, so hopefully you remember that one…”

“Do not doubt the severity of my forgetfulness!! I forget many things,” Tenko monologues valiantly, “And uh, yes. I do remember that.”

“Angie, Gonta, Tsumugi, me, you, and K1-B0...” Himiko grabs at another gummy, and pushes the bag forward towards the Aikido Master, “Do you want another one? You’ve only had three.”

“Yes! My Neo-Aikido Discipline strictly forbids me from eating more than three sweets per day!” Tenko replies, “I have hit the max!”

“Nyeh… I guess… But nobody’s watching. I won’t tell,” The mage whispers, adding a sly wink at the end. Tenko inhales, braces herself, and then quickly snatches a fourth gummy and throws it in her mouth. It tastes good, but it’s not enough to compensate for the sin crawling down her back. Himiko nonetheless giggles at the contorted face she makes, which causes the Aikido Master to feel a little better. Enough to take a _fifth_ gummy. How scandalous.

The mage turns slightly more somber, pausing her hand which held food mid-air as she ponders, “But back to the student council...That was wild.”

“That _was_ wild!! But I'm glad…” Tenko’s voice fades out as she subtly cuts herself off. What was she supposed to say next? _I’m glad it’s all over?_ That implies that she’s _happy_ Angie got murdered, “I mean… I’m glad you’re okay now.”

Himiko shrugs, a sorrowful ghost of a smile spreading across her face, “Thanks…. You too.”

“Um, do you still miss Angie?” The brunette asks. It comes from a place of compassion, but at the same time she can’t help but feel bad at how jealous it sounded. Angie is very much deceased, Tenko.

“Yes,” The mage answers, voice certain and unwavering, “I do. I know you didn’t like her that much… But she was still my friend. And I know she meant well…”

Tenko never really saw Angie as someone who ‘ _meant well’,_ but surely if Himiko saw good in her, it must mean something. Perhaps it was her striking jealousy that blinded her from seeing any fond qualities in the Ultimate Artist. And for that, the brunette felt immensely terrible about. She made sure to grab her pencil and write it down, near a column that said ‘Student Council’, connecting dots with squiggly lines and zigzags. 

“Hey… You said something about hearing Angie, right?” Himiko quickly scrawls a column labeled ‘seance’. That column eventually becomes the most busy, memories rooted from both Tenko and Himiko, “Um… heard anything recently?”

“No,” The Aikido Master shakes her head, “The last time was…. Before the Virtual World?? I think??”

The redhead emits a low hum before the pair return to comfortable silence, doodling quietly as they read over what has already been written. The Virtual World stemmed into a vivid conversation about the events leading up to the double murder. 

It brought back the discussion of the Cut-No-Scissors. They had spent yet another few minutes discussing the conversation that led up to Himiko slicing Tenko’s hair off, laughing as they recall those joyous moments, having to shush each other playfully before they woke up some irritated classmates. And after that, the horrid sensation of loss and guilt over the deaths of the Ultimate Inventor and the Ultimate Entomologist, how neither of them had any clue what they were supposed to do next, how neither of them could be completely certain that the _other_ didn’t commit the murder. It was a brutally honest, gruelling conversation of distrust and self-sacrifice, how Himiko had thrown herself into the blackened position when Tenko had wanted to do it herself. The pure relief they had felt when they had won the trial, when they had managed to complete it without sending another one of their classmates to their early demise. 

It was a real pain remembering that the Aikido Master had actually _worked_ with two degenerate males, had willingly placed her trust in them despite _knowing_ what males were capable of, but she confessed to Himiko, anyways. She remembered feeling some sort of _trust_ towards the Ultimate Detective, even if a lot of the details were still blurry, and how when it came down to it, she only wanted Himiko to be safe.

“It was a late night conversation,” Tenko had recalled, quietly, “But I remember them saying you were going to be okay. I think that’s… why I worked with them.” 

The mage only nodded.

Himiko had remembered, slowly, how lonely she had felt. It was solemn and grim, her confession of feeling abandoned after Angie’s death, how the only thing she could believe in was gone, taken away in a method so _unfair._ They both recalled Korekiyo. Himiko had written down notes, face scrunched in disdain, as Tenko ranted and railed about the _audacity_ of it all. How unsafe she had felt after that trial, how she refused to eat anything in fear of being poisoned, how she could barely sleep without having vivid nightmares. Himiko confessed to her own fears, how she would bawl her eyes out before going to bed, how she’d wake up trembling and vomiting out of anxiety. The conversation spurred onto the killing game, onto guilt. People that should be alive. People that didn’t deserve to be. 

They just listened to each other. Without conflict or objection. Hours pass, and Tenko finds it so easy to just let the time fly by while listening to Himiko. The notebook fills with scribbles and drabbles from both of the girls, pages upon pages of memories both good and bad. They write with so much detail that it would be impossible for them to forget again.

The whole time, it seemed as if the mage was forcing herself to stay awake. She was leaning against the couch cushions, propped up by her elbow, eyes occasionally blinking for longer than two seconds but quickly snapping open.

“Hey… if you’re too sleepy, you can always rest!” Tenko had offered, more than once, but Himiko had always refused.

“No, I’m gonna keep going…” She slurs, voice drowsy, “This is just… a setback. It’ll wear off. That’s what Shuichi said.”

“I mean, it _is_ nighttime. It’s reasonable for you to feel tired,” the Aikido Master shrugs, “But I understand you wanting to fight the effects of the flashback light!! In that case, I will stay up with you.”

Himiko nods, “Keep your chin up and live life facing forward. That’s what you said. So I am-” She uses her index finger and thumb to pull open her eyelids, forcing herself to stay awake, “I am going to! Get more energy!!”

The Aikido Master exhales through her nose, a muted form of laughter, “Really, Himiko, it’s okay! You can live facing forward tomorrow! You don’t have to push yourself.”

As Tenko returns to her doodles, eyebrows furrowed as she strains her memory, Himiko stares. There’s clearly something on the mage’s mind, as visible through her soft gaze. She leans her cheek against her fist, twirling her pencil in her hands, almost as if she wants to write something down but wills herself to stop. 

Suddenly, she flips the notebook to a blank page, interrupting Tenko’s frantic doodling.

“Nyeh, this is what’s tiring me out,” She says, writing in bold lettering ‘FUTURE PLANS’ on the top of the page, “No more past. Let’s chat future. You told me you were like… a vigil…. A virgil…..”

“Vigilante?”

“Yeah. That.”

Only briefly had the Aikido Master mentioned that, sparing many details around what she saw and who she had encountered, however Tenko finds herself blushing rapidly, “U-Uh! I mean, kinda…”

“Do you think you’ll still do that if you get out of here?”

Honestly, the Aikido Master had never even thought about continuing her vigilante adventures if she ever made it out of the killing game. It all just seemed like some faint afterthought, a ‘what if’ scenario that could only emerge once she actually _escapes_ this place. Still, she isn’t necessarily opposed to it. 

“I...I haven’t really thought about it,” Tenko says, “But… maybe.”

“Then I want to come with,” Himiko replies, writing down ‘vigilante adventures’ as a bullet point, “I also want to meet your Master. He seems cool.”

“He is cool!” Tenko nods, cheeks hot and smile wide, “A-And, um, if we’re listing things we _want_ to do…. Then, uh, it would be an honor to come see one of your magic shows!! I-I’ve never been to one.”

“You’ve _never been_ to a magic show?” Himiko gasps.

“Well, outside of… y’know,” She doesn’t have to explain any further for them both to know what she’s talking about. Himiko’s Underwater Escape Trick was perhaps one of the most anxiety-inducing events that Tenko had to watch, waiting with baited breath and jittering hands as the mage was submerged underwater. And then the whole Kirumi situation… and Ryoma….

Himiko’s lips twitch downwards for a brief moment, “Then I will be sure to save you a front row seat. I want to show you a _real_ magic show.”

She writes down ‘ _real_ magic show’ as a bullet point.

“Okay, my turn,” Himiko taps her pencil against her chin, suppressing a quick yawn as she ponders, “Ooh! There’s a nice breakfast cafe downtown from where I lived. I don’t think I’ve ever been there before.”

“Oh, so you want to dine in there?”

“I want to dine with you,” She corrects, but quickly adds, “And everybody else-- If we manage to escape. But…. mostly you.”

Tenko is so red that she could easily blend in with a pile of tomatoes, “O-Okay!! Yeah!! I’d love to!!”

Himiko is also just faintly blushing, smile soft and lovely.

“I think we’ve got a busy day planned out already,” The mage jokes, “Breakfast cafe in the morning, magic show during the afternoon, and vigilante work during the night.”

“It might have to wait a while. The first thing I’m doing once I get out of here is sleeping!!” Tenko says enthusiastically, “Atua knows I need it!!”

“Don’t we all,” The redhead chuckles, to which the pair share a mocking ‘cheers’ from invisible glasses. As if either of them had ever had alcohol before.

It returns once more to comfortable silence. The girls doodle and draw, playfully battling with their pencils, writing more things they want to experience when they escape the killing game. Himiko wants to ride a ferris wheel, Tenko wants to learn more about gardening, the mage wants to go back to school and enjoy it, and the Aikido Master wants to pick up a book series without pictures and _actually_ finish it. With the amount of childish giggling they were doing, it was almost baffling how nobody around them managed to wake up. They had both walked to the corner in order to steal another bag of sweets from the pile, muffling their snorts and chuckles behind their hands and tiptoeing back to their position on the other side of the room before returning to their future plans. 

It really _did_ feel like a sleepover. As well as food, they had taken one of the spare blankets from the resource pile, sharing it as they continued their conversation. It was a deep blue color and undoubtedly came from somebody’s dorm. It was also rather inappropriate, to feel cozy and relaxed in such a tense situation, however as their memories came back, so did their relationship. As they discussed more, about the past and what they wanted in the future, Tenko could feel her heart swell with a fluttering, warm feeling. Hm. Odd… Especially considering how she was just tied to a chair a few hours ago and told that all her memories had been wiped in favor of keeping the location they were currently hiding in a secret. She should be much more anxious, but Tenko only felt calm.

And now that she remembers it, wasn’t it always like this? Himiko was a very grounding person, somebody who kept her from feverous negative emotion. Tenko was the opposite for the mage, encouraging natural emotion and allowing yourself to vent and feel. It was development in their relationship that had been formed from that _horrid_ seance, from understanding and personal change on both sides. It was almost as if they didn’t _need_ to remember it again, or say it out loud, because that same relationship seemed to form naturally through their conversation. 

Tenko was always this enamored with Himiko, wasn’t she? Even _with_ a memory wipe of every event after the seance, there was no denying that the Aikido Master has never felt anything but fondness towards her. It was embarrassing, really, how strongly she felt towards her that not even a flashback light could get rid of it. Her skin goes hot just thinking about it.

With every future plan the brunette would make, Himiko would perk an eyebrow. It was a subtle gesture with a particular pattern that Tenko could not pick up. Eventually she just has to ask about it.

“Every time you make a plan, you say ‘ _when_ we leave the killing game’.” The Ultimate Mage explains, “You’re… so certain about it.”

Tenko shrugs. There _was_ a distinct difference between how Himiko had phrased her plans and how Tenko had phrased hers, a subtle juxtaposition between the mage’s ‘ _if’_ and the Aikido Master’s _‘when’._

“I have to be. I just…” The brunette shrugs. If she told herself that she was going to make it out alive, if she says it out loud enough, then surely she could convince herself it was true. Even if that stupid…. That little paper thing that Shuichi held up told her she was supposed to die. Oh, wow, she had forgotten about that. That was pretty damning, huh, “I have to be.”

Himiko nods. At this point, she’s resting her face against the crook of her elbow, eyes drooping but a smile still present, “I really liked-- Er, like that about you. You’re just… really optometristic about things, even though they’re kinda…. Dull.”

“Optimistic!” Tenko corrects, “I remember we were both confused about that-- And it’s-- I remember now, it’s optimistic. And u-um….. Thank you. Really,” She simpers, her eyes twinkling, “I also really want to thank you for just… being my friend! And making me feel a little more grounded. And less lonely. So, I--- Thank you!” Noticing this might be the end of their conversation, she quickly follows with, “And thank you for unlocking me from the chair!! It was very annoying!!”

The mage hums softly, “That was the first thing I remembered. Magic show, remember? You just couldn’t sit still,” Tenko reddens as Himiko closes the notebook, “I think I’m gonna fall asleep. Can you wake me up if anything happens?”

“Of course!” The Aikido Master agrees, “But… um… shouldn’t you handcuff me to the chair again? The others might get a little angry…”

Himiko spends a second looking back at the metal chair, glances over at the unconscious Kaito, and then looks back at Tenko, “Oh no…. I fell asleep before I could restrain you again……. How _awful_ of me…………..”

The mage pretends to collapse as the brunette snorts. With one last overexaggerated yawn, Himiko mutters a drowsy, “‘Night, Tenko.”

“O-Oh, where do I…?” The Aikido Master looks around for any other place to crash for the night, but every couch seems to be occupied by at least one person already. Himiko gestures tiredly that she can take the other side of the chaise longue they’re sitting on, “Ok! Um, goodnight, Himiko!”

“Come ‘ere,” The mage slurs tiredly yet amusingly at the same time, hands grasping, “Gimme a bedtime hug.”

Tenko snickers and accepts the embrace before the pair return to their assigned opposite ends, sharing the same blanket. The Aikido Master needs to tuck her legs in just so she doesn’t accidentally wack Himiko with her feet.

The brunette finds herself staring upwards at the tall ceiling, the sudden silence reminding her of all of the memories that had just suddenly come rushing back to her. Dang. It was a lot to take in. It was practically numbing, a simple hum in the back of her skull, a faint ‘ _oh yeah, this happened too, I guess. Time to move past it, I suppose’._ She couldn’t say that she fully _believed_ everything that the pair had remembered, couldn’t exactly say that she felt the same amount of trust towards Shuichi and Kokichi than she previously had, but it was getting there. Slowly. One step at a time.

At least there was somebody there experiencing it with her, right? She’ll take each new day as it comes, and if she’s ever confused, she’ll know that Himiko was right there with her. 

The Ultimate Mage must have seen Tenko with her eyes wide open, because she lightly kicks her leg to grab her attention.

“Go to sleep,” She jokes, smiling, before reclining her leg and turning around. 

Tenko really likes Himiko’s smile. She’s said that before. She knows she’s said that before. So it really must be true. There was no time during the killing game where Tenko did not brighten at the sight of Himiko’s lovely smile, the dorky way her lips twitched upwards and the awkward way her nose crinkled. And how her laugh reverberated around the room and sang in people’s ears. And how compassionate she had been, even behind all of the walls she put up, behind all of the barriers put in place by the killing game.

No flashback light could wipe that.

The brunette grins in response, even if the mage had turned around already. The night was peaceful, the silence comfortable and the future bright. 

At least there was some good in losing her memories. Tenko gets to fall in love with Himiko all over again.

-=+=-

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: okay now that ive held up my end of the deal ive got some questions of my own

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: and since youre so all knowing 

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: what was up with that slip of paper that tsu had. and the pattern of letters. do you know

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: hello

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: helllloooooooooooooooooooooooo

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: am i being ignored :(

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: you fiend! you have made a clear enemy with DICE! expect to hear a very angry yelp complaint soon >:(

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: do these chat messages show up universally through all computers connected to this network cuz that might be a problem

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: ?????

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: damn. ok, guess ill try another chat then

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: got any idea who isobe is?

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: yeah i thought not.

> <user.tdkillinggamedevision> is offline!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're lesbiabs harold................ and mark my fucking words they WILL kiss by the end of this goddamn story


	28. you're free to pass out right now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> conversations happen, some more hopeless than others

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all!! quick trigger warning for self-inflicted asphyxiation, im not really sure how to write it but basically a character holds their breath for a long time and it may be disturbing to some. if you're not okay with that, please skip the last part of this chapter!! :)

Maki considers herself a morning person, so it was slightly concerning that somebody else was up before her.

“Shuichi?” The assassin hums, pushing herself up from the couch she was resting on, “How long was your second shift? ...Ah, shit, did we forget to assign somebody on the third shift-”

“No-- No, it’s fine,” The Ultimate Detective whispers back from where he was hunched over, perched on the far side of the work desk next to the sleeping Kokichi, “I was up, anyways. Just translating.”

“Mm,” Maki turns towards the Ultimate Astronaut, who was still in deep slumber. He had made himself quite comfortable on his own velvet couch, legs sprawled inelegantly and mouth hanging open, “Was he awake during his shift?”

“Um… I, uh-- No.”

“Typical,” She says, the corners of her lips fluttering upwards into an amused smirk, “Is anybody else up?”

Shuichi’s eyes widen only faintly, just briefly enough to be noticeable, before returning to a neutral yet strained position, “...Just Tenko. Sorry.” 

With one look over towards the metal chair the Aikido Master _should_ have been, it was blaringly clear that Tenko was no longer restrained. The handcuffs had fallen to the floor, the scuff marks on the floor visible but the chair still. Upon further inspection of the space, the assassin notices that the green-eyed teenager is now resting on a couch on the opposite end of the room. She is clearly awake, reading over a school notebook that rested on her lap. It seems that the Ultimate Magician had fallen asleep on the same chaise longue, her small legs now tangled and wrapped around Tenko, making it physically impossible for the Aikido Master to move. 

The pair lock eyes. Tenko looks fairly tired, however there’s a familiar glint in her earthy irises. One that’s seen things, one that’s less buoyant and gullible than the overwhelmingly naive Aikido Master she had seen running at Kokichi with a flashback light. It probably means her memories had started to return. And that _also_ probably means she remembers Maki straight up beating the shit out of her with a metal pipe. 

Nevertheless, Tenko spares a peaceful wave. The assassin gestures back. She didn’t seem harmful, so she supposes leaving her without restraints was okay for now. They’ll chat later. 

“Any updates?” Maki whispers, approaching the work desk where Shuichi sat.

The detective shrugs sheepishly, “A lot of it is mapping out what was _supposed_ to happen during this killing game… but none of that is relevant now, anyways.”

“Let me see that,” Maki demands bluntly, grabbing the notebook from a stammering Shuichi.

He had filled pages upon pages of translations, or at least abridged translations, of the documents found below the computer system. It’s a play by play of the events that have transpired during this killing game, a summarization of the executions and murders from the perspective of somebody who _knew_ what was going to happen. The past murders certainly weren’t the most worrisome, rather the _future_ ones. The murders that were _going_ to happen. 

The most horrifying of the transcription was the copious amount of dialogue written under Kaito’s name. The translation was scribbled, a brief ‘ _murder plan happens to confuse Monokuma-- Kaito and Kokichi get mixed up. Kokichi is victim & Kaito is blackened’ _doodled across the timeline. It then moves onto the ‘final showdown’, where Tsumugi was to reveal she was the mastermind. The notetaking ends there.

Shuichi obviously was not ready to tell her about the Ultimate Astronaut being fated to die, as evident through his drooping eyes when he reaches for his notebook again, “...Sorry. I’m still trying to find stuff that might actually be useful to our escape… A lot of it has to come from the computer. And since Kokichi is asleep-”

“Snore,” The Ultimate Supreme Leader drawls, eyes flickering open, “Sleeping is so boorrriing. Okie!! Time to work now!!” The purple teen immediately slaps his hands onto the keyboard, wasting no time to power on the computers and begin his dissection of the files. 

Shuichi greets him with a friendly good morning, which is mostly unresponded to except for the low buzz that Kokichi emits. Maki flicks him slightly in the head for startling her, which he childishly swats away. 

Behind them, the astronaut and the robot begin to shift, obviously having been awoken by the increasing noise of the room. From the looks of the digital clock on the top of the computer screen, it was 6:15 am, almost two hours before the Monokubs would make their morning announcement. The only people who haven’t woken up were Tsumugi, for obvious reasons, and Himiko, for obvious reasons. Shuichi had told everybody to give the blue and red pair some space for the next couple of days, anticipating resistance and defiance from them as they attempted to gain their stolen memories back. 

_But Tenko looks fine? So surely Himiko is fine too?_

“What’s for breakfast?” Kaito bellows, receiving a harsh shush from the remainder of the class as they gesture towards the unconscious magician. 

Maki flashes Shuichi a low glare, a silent expression saying ‘ _don’t tell him about that future murder plan or you can consider your ribs gone’_ , to which the detective nods and sets down the notebook. 

“Just whatever we took from the kitchen, Kaito,” Shuichi answers.

There’s still a noticeable strain between the two. Despite Shuichi having explained… for the _most_ part what was up with that fourth trial, it seems Kaito was still not fully over it. Something about ‘not being truthful’ or some other petty reason. Mainly, Maki deduced, it was because Shuichi had been working with _Kokichi_ , a classmate that Kaito saw as practically irredeemable. 

That astronaut could be stubborn when he wanted to be. Maki wouldn’t be able to count how many times he had buggered her to join their nightly training sessions, no matter the resilience she showed. He’ll get over it, though. He has to, considering they were all stuck in one room together.

After acquiring some brightly colored bag of _something_ edible, Kaito returns to the work desk where Maki was situated and greets her with a friendly pack on the back. However, considering how she had been aikido-thrown onto her back two days prior and was in the stage of recovery where it most definitely was bruising, the assassin winces and instinctively elbows Kaito harshly in the gut.

“ _Jesus-”_ The astronaut coughs, doubling over. Maki mumbles apologizes, eyes wide in shock, and assists in helping him back up as gently as she can. The pair dissolve into a soft conversation, chuckles intertwined with apologies and smiley forgiveness. 

K1-B0 wakes up silently. So silently in fact, that barely anybody noticed their eyes opening. Shuichi, however, manages a genial wave. 

The robot returns a stiff one back. It seems that something is on their mind. Way _too many_ things, if their expression said anything. They begin making their way over to the Ultimate Cosplayer, who was lulling in and out of consciousness. 

The class disassembles for the day.

-=+=-

Seeing as everybody else was busy, and Shuichi wasn’t necessarily in the mood to converse tensely with the Ultimate Astronaut this morning, he shifts closer to the working Kokichi.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Is the first question he can think of. The detective wasn’t exactly sure why he was trying to converse with the supreme leader, especially considering how untruthful he could be, but it honestly felt like he was the closest person to him at the moment. What a weird statement. Shuichi would have _never_ thought _Kokichi_ would be his closest friend in the academy. 

The purple teen shrugs, face blank for a moment, but immediately switches to his typical childish demeanor upon turning away from the computer screen, “Nope!!”

The detective assumed that was true. Suspicion would only halt the conversation, “Yikes. Uh, know why?”

“The ghosts. They haunt me,” Kokichi answers unseriously, before turning once more to the keyboard as he pulls up a small screen to correctly answer the question, “This is our little secret for now. Yeah, Shumai?”

Shuichi nods solemnly and pushes himself off of the work desk, standing just behind the Ultimate Supreme Leader as he enters into a chatroom of some sort. It’s clear Kokichi has already initiated two separate conversations with two different people: one with the username ‘theauthor’ and the other with the username ‘tdstorymanagementdevision’, a subtitle next to the chatroom telling them that it was Isobe’s account. The conversation with ‘theauthor’ was completely in English, a rather informal discussion that was cut short and seemingly one-sided by the end of it. Kokichi had been told to ‘let Tenko and Himiko regain their memories’, which was advice he seemingly followed, before ‘theauthor’ had gone offline. They have not been online since.

_That leads to another question: where did they come from? Where did they go?_

The second chat room was much more serious and dignified. It seems whoever was at the computer had already started a discussion with this mystery man, much of the conversation cryptic and vague. 

_If I assume it was Tsumugi who was keeping contact with Isobe, then it would make sense for them to converse mainly over voice call. In case anything could be traced back to them..._

“I’m thinking of contacting them as Tsumugi,” Kokichi admits rather truthfully, shoving his own notebook into the detective’s hands. In it, a list of conversation starters, almost perfectly replicating things that the Ultimate Cosplayer has said to either one of them, somebody else, or to Isobe. He’s circled a few good ones, and mapped out possible responses.

“This is….. _Really_ intricate,” Shuichi compliments, “You’ve planned _everything_ \--- You did this all last night?”

“Kaito was sleeping during his shift, Tenko and Himiko were too busy being lovebirds, and you just let me work during your shift,” At the detective’s impressed yet concerned hum, Kokichi quickly adds, “But that’s just a lie! I _actually_ hired some goons to do all of my evil bidding. They’re very useful, y’know!”

“Right,” Shuichi smirks, “But I think this is a good idea. Worth a shot, anyways. They’ve most likely deduced we’re in this hidden room considering we destroyed the cameras. Pretending we’re Tsumugi might be the only way to get information from the outside.” He thumbs through the plans again, running his fingers over the dialogue, “But, um-- Some of the English is a little jagged.”

“Awh, rats! Oh, well. Time to scrap everything!”

Shuichi exhales heavily, before starting begrudgingly again with, “Hey, this might sound a little crazy… but would you consider letting Kaito help us?”

The Ultimate Supreme Leader turns back to Shuichi, eyes narrow and rather sarcastic, “You’re totally right, Shumai! That _does_ sound crazy!”

“I-- Sorry, it’s just he’s still a little suspicious of-”

“Well, that’s _his_ fault-”

“-And he’s the only other person here who’s fluent in English.”

Kokichi shrugs childishly, “Tsumugi is fluent in English. _Apparently._ ”

“Please, Kokichi. Just-- He’s smart when he needs to be. He can handle that script.” Shuichi all but pleads, voice in low whisper as to not drag attention from the blissfully chatting astronaut and assassin just a few metres away from them, “You’ve already read _my_ translations, haven’t you? About Tsumugi’s planned out murders? You _know_ you were supposed to work with him. In a manner quite similar to _reading a script_ , one might say.”

“ _Waaaahh!!!!_ Shuichi is being so _mean to me!!!!”_ Kokichi wails, to which the entire room sighs and ignores him. The supreme leader then leans in towards the detective, face hardened and ominous, “But I think this operation would be better off without any _extras._ Remember last time you dragged somebody in? Oh, my mistake, you don’t _need_ to remember! Because we’re _living those results right now!!_ ”

“I still don’t think that was a mistake. We’re closer to ending this killing game than we ever _have_ been,” Shuichi replies with such certainty that it honestly throws the purple teen off a little bit, “The way out is by working with others.”

Kokichi puckers his lips, deep in thought, before clicking his tongue, “That’s the difference between you and I, isn’t it? You place so much trust in everybody.”

“I do,” The detective nods, “Call me stupid all you want, but I trust these people to get us out of here.”

There’s a noticeable shift, one that was tiny and miniscule, in Kokichi’s features. The pair sit in uncomfortable silence, neither breaking their scrutinizing glares.

“...You thought the same about Kaede.” Is the last thing the supreme leader says, before turning around in his chair, blocking Shuichi from view.

The conversation is over.

-=+=-

Despite Tenko being on the opposite end of the room, Kaito and Maki were still the most prominent voices she could hear.

“Do ya think anybody brought wasabi down here?” Kaito queries. He had taken the unrefrigerated sushi from the pile of food, arguing against Maki’s puzzled concerns about whether eating fish that had been left out in the room temperature overnight was okay, “Needs more spice.”

“Oh, yes, I distinctly remember now,” Maki replies, grinning, “While I was running and grabbing food, knowing that I was in immediate danger and needed to take only the bare essentials, I remember thinking: ‘You know what? Better grab this wasabi. Kaito might want it for his breakfast sushi.’”

“Ahaha.” Kaito replies dryly, chuckling as Maki giggles rather girlishly, “But it _was_ a good question-!!”

“It was a good question. And I gave you an answer.”

“It was sarcastic!! It was a sarcastic answer!!”

“I have never been sarcastic in my life,” Maki replies, unable to contain laughter at the sight of the Ultimate Astronaut bursting into a fit of chortles.

 _Eugh, they're so in love,_ the Ultimate Aikido Master thinks, nose scrunching, _imagine being in love with a MALE. Couldn't be me._

From the other side of the room, Tenko watches, Himiko sitting next to her. The Aikido Master had been preparing herself to walk up and begin a conversation with the pair, a conversation that involved an apology for Maki (for beating her up with her fists and also that metal pipe that was conveniently sitting next to the assassin now), and an apology for Kaito (for punching him in the face that one time, however she was less concerned about him right now). She had been anxiously bouncing her leg for a while now, purposefully stalling with the Ultimate Mage.

Himiko nudges her gently in the side, now fully aware that Tenko was trying to pass the time instead of committing to this remorse, “Do it now and get it over with. We’re all gonna be in here for a while… so it’s better to apologize now. And I’ll be right there next to you!!”

The brunette returns an uneasy smile and hoists herself up onto her feet. Honestly, if Kaito weren’t there, this would be much easier. They have never been friends, and were unlikely to ever grow close. But considering how none of them have any privacy in this hidden room, there was no way she was getting a one-on-one conversation with the Ultimate Assassin. She'll just have to grow up, shove down her hatred for Degenerate Males™, and be the bigger person.

 _Do it now and get it over with,_ Tenko repeats in her brain, chanting it as she walks over to where the pair were sitting against a wall, _do it now and get it over with._

“.....Hhiiiiii…….” The Aikido Master begins, oozing awkwardness and discomfort. Real smooth.

The astronaut and the assassin both return the exact same energy, stiff and uncomfortable. 

“Hello,” Maki nods, “Are you… feeling better?”

“Better!! A little tired, but better,” Tenko replies honestly. Jeez, this is painful. These two girls are probably the worst conversation starters in the entire room, “How are you?”

The ruby-eyed girl immediately stopped rubbing at her shoulder, which was obviously still in pain from when Tenko had smacked her with a metal pipe, and returns to a rigid neutral position, “...Fine.”

Another tense beat of silence. Himiko has to nudge Tenko once more in the side to get her started. 

“I wanted to apologize. To…. _both_ of you. Um, especially you, Maki, for fighting you. I really didn’t mean to hurt you that badly and I’m so sorry it happened and I really will try my hardest to reflect and grow from this experience and I’m so sorry again,” As soon as she started, there’s no filter while apologizing to Maki. However, once she turns towards the Ultimate Astronaut, it’s almost as if her throat constricts, “And um… Kaito…….. I punched you in the face, I guess. I’m….. sorry……… But Himiko says that in order to get out of here we all need to work together! So do not expect this apologizing to become part of your everyday life!! I am saying sorry to you for Himiko and Himiko _only._ ”

The Ultimate Mage shrugs. Good enough.

Maki honestly looks slightly taken aback, “Oh. Um-- Yeah. Hey, me too. That really was my fault, back there. I jumped to conclusions _way_ too early and… it was really dumb of me to attack you like that. I’m _really_ sorry, Tenko. Really sorry.”

A moment of silence passes before Kaito shrugs a soft, “Yeah, I forgive ya! It’s-- We were all stressed, that’s all! I’m over it now.”

“You didn’t _seem_ over it,” Maki mumbles.

“I am _now,_ ” Kaito mutters back, holding back a sarcastic laugh.

“Yay, this is good!” Himiko applauds the team, “We’re making progress! Moving forward!”

The astronaut and the assassin smile from the floor and invite the pair to sit down. Himiko immediately jumps down while Tenko cautiously reclines, still a little awkward. The floor was cold. Kaito offers some of his room-temperature breakfast sushi, which Tenko hastily declines and Himiko accepts. 

“It’s good that _some_ of us are moving forward,” Maki jabs, eyes shifting towards Kaito, “ _Others_ , however, are being a little stubborn.”

“Hm?” Himiko mumbles, mouth stuffed with food.

Kaito sighs heavily and rather childishly, “We were just having an argument, that’s all.” Maki shakes her head from next to him, implying otherwise, “Say, now that you guys are here-- What are your thoughts on Shuichi working with Kokichi?”

Oh, so _that’s_ what the astronaut was worked up about. If Tenko was to be entirely honest, she was still slightly horrified that _she herself_ had actually worked with the grape-flavored menace, so she can’t say the astronaut’s stance was necessarily cruel. Himiko was also fairly indifferent towards the supreme leader, however when the Aikido Master had remembered working with him she didn’t comment. 

“It’s… just all pretty strange,” Tenko shrugs quietly, sending nervous glances behind her just in case either of the degenerates were listening, “I mean… As far as I can remember working with him, he didn’t necessarily do anything _that_ stupid….”

“I still think we need to keep an eye on him,” Himiko comments. 

Kaito gestures cockily, “See? They’re on my side!”

“That’s not the point I’m trying to make,” Maki interrupts, “I’m saying that you’re avoiding _Shuichi_ because of him.”

“Well-!” He sputters, “He-- He was supposed to be my sidekick, y’know? It’s just a little weird that he wouldn’t tell me all of this.”

 _That’s fair,_ Tenko supposes. Kaito and Kokichi probably had the longest ongoing feud out of everybody in the academy; the astronaut was the typical ‘hero’ and the supreme leader was made out to be the typical ‘villian’. Finding out that the hero’s sidekick had been working alongside the villain all along sounded like a cruel yet compelling plot device that some superhero company would use in their comics. 

But then again, she hated agreeing with a _male_ , so her brain immediately flips to the opposition. She had done the exact same thing, had worked alongside Kokichi despite knowing what he was capable of, what he had up his own sleeve. Despite _knowing_ that Himiko held disdain towards him, Tenko still voluntarily chose to cooperate with the…. ‘Clown Crusade’, was it? The small details were still fairly rocky. But she clearly remembers doing it for the better of everybody in the academy. That was what Shuichi had done, too. 

“He wasn’t _trying_ to hurt you. He was trying to discover the mastermind!” Tenko opposes, again resuming the petty relationship dynamic between herself and the astronaut.

“Which he _did,_ by the way,” Maki adds.

“Yeah! And I worked with Kokichi too. Should _I_ leave?”

“Well, you’re different!” Kaito reasons, “We’re not-- Y’know. _Close._ ”

Fair. She’d be caught dead before she told anybody she was _friends_ with Kaito, “Okay. But I still think it’s a little unreasonable to take it out on Shuichi!! It is okay to feel emotions, but _how_ you respond to them is on you.”

Damn, she’s actually being convincing!! She hasn’t threatened to throw him over her shoulder _once_ this conversation!! Himiko definitely takes notice of that and pats her encouragingly on the shoulder, then leans against it as she resumes talking to the assassin and the astronaut. The discussion drifts from Shuichi and Kokichi and rather towards the restrained Ultimate Cosplayer. Maki has to remind the pair of what had happened to lead up to this situation: how she had found Tenko and Himiko lost out of their minds, the blaring sirens that came from a mysterious phone call, this ‘Isobe’ guy, which none of them knew.

Kaito actually makes some fairly intelligent predictions, claiming that whoever was behind all this has been broadcasting their killing game live for some unknown audience, and since they were getting so out of hand they decided to enact an emergency shutdown. He makes predictions on how Tsumugi couldn’t possibly be the only one behind all of this, and that she was only the “for-show” mastermind.

“It’s like-- The astronauts are the ones that receive all of the media attention. They’re the face of the project,” Kaito had explained to listening ears, “But behind the scenes, hundreds of people are working just as hard. There’s no way _one person_ could pull off something as massive as this. Tsumugi was just the face of the project. Surely there’s an organization behind all of this.”

Tenko hated to agree, but it wasn’t too far of a stretch. And _that_ was terrifying. To think that they weren’t just facing one person, but rather _hundreds of people_ was despair-inducing, ridiculously hopeless. They’re just seven teenagers, eight including Tsumugi, there was no way they could face hundreds of people.

Still, the conversation was relaxed and fairly civilized, which was a nice change from the tense and unbearable discussions she usually had with Kaito. Just for a moment, they were able to put their differences aside. It might have also come from the fact that they both had love interests at their sides who they wanted to impress. 

“Do you think anybody brought a deck of cards?” Himiko mumbles enthusiastically, “That might be fun.”

“You’d have to dig through the pile,” Maki answers, “I’m sure I br-”

Interrupting their casual conversation, the Ultimate Robot emerges from where they were standing near Tsumugi, eyebrows furrowed and voice hasty. 

“She’s awake,” K1-B0 announces, “Tsumugi’s awake.”

The conversation is over.

-=+=-

“Who do you work for?”

“No.”

“Who do you work for?”

“No.”

“Who do you work for?”

“ _No_.”

“Who do you-”

“ _Jesus christ,_ Kokichi, _”_ Maki hisses in exasperation, “This is _obviously_ not working.”

“It’s just annoying at this point,” Himiko groans from where she sat, looking over the edge of a couch with her chin resting on her arms. The mage and Tenko herself had not moved from the couch, both of them deciding it would be safer to keep distance from the rather agitated cosplayer. The Aikido Master had her arms wrapped protectively around the redhead, seeking comfort in such a tense situation.

As soon as Tsumugi had woken up, she had begged and pleaded to be let out, stubbornly feigning innocence and asking Tenko to help her. It honestly would have worked if her classmates hadn’t reminded her of why she was restrained in the first place: the flashback light, the foreboding slip of paper with all of their deaths prewritten, Tenko finding her conveniently in the storage room. Of course, her being the mastermind was not 100% confirmed, however it was incredibly plausible.

“Tsumugi, we just need you to be honest with us,” Shuichi sighs. He has pulled up a metal chair and sat himself down in front of the cosplayer. He was playing the Good Cop, Maki was playing the Bad Cop, and it seems Kokichi has made a role out of playing the Repetitive-Leaning-Towards-Annoying Cop. 

Tenko looks over towards the bluenette, who was trembling in both fear and rage. She’s dropped her innocent and unknowing act and has now recoiled in on herself, refusing to admit anything less than one word. The Aikido Master couldn’t help but feel bad at how pathetic she looked, but it was probably for the best she didn’t act on any impulses as everybody else in the room was for keeping Tsumugi in the chair.

The Ultimate Mage was still writing in their notebook. Just quick recaps of their attempts, important things Tsumugi had accidentally let slip (which wasn’t a lot) and accusations people made that may have been a little _too_ specific. It was their own detective work, or perhaps just notetaking, so if anything were to be erased again they would know for sure. Himiko had just documented that ‘Kokichi tried repeating things-- didn’t do much now everyone’s annoyed’, accompanied by Tenko’s scribbles of stickman classmates and magic sparkles. 

“I _am_ ,” The Ultimate Cosplayer chokes at the raven-haired teen, snapping the Aikido Master back into their conversation, “You don’t have _any_ proof besides _small coincidences!_ What kind of detective _are you?_ ”

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Maki threatens, “We have ways of knowing whether you’re telling the truth or not.”

 _Do we?_ Tenko thinks, but quickly pushes it down before she blows the assassin’s cover. It seems the cosplayer was thinking the same thing, because her lips had turned upwards into a cocky smirk. One that says ‘ _I know you’re lying’_. One that nearly lands her a solid punch across the face. The assassin was not a forced to be reckoned, especially when she was this angry.

“Please, Tsu. We can do this together, we don’t have to be enemies,” Shuichi says. It doesn’t seem completely honest or true, as Maki is staring daggers into her. Kaito as well as Himiko are peering at her with disgust.

Tsumugi’s head lulls downwards as she refuses to maintain eye contact, once more signaling the end of a conversation, “You’re making a mistake. A detective should be _careful_ with who they _accuse,_ hm?”

Something about that phrase must have struck Shuichi the wrong way, because the detective shifts uncomfortably and backs down. Yet another thirty minutes lost to pointless interrogation. Tenko was starting to believe it truly was hopeless, just like Himiko had muttered the first interrogation they attempted with her. However, the Ultimate Assassin was in no way ready to surrender that quickly, sick and tired of the situation they were in.

“Give it up, already!” Maki growls, “Who is behind all of this!?”

“Makiroll, back off,” Kaito warns. The assassin blinks for a moment, slightly shocked that he was willing to give in so easily, but recovers just as quickly.

Tsumugi does not look up, her blue hair covering her face, “ _Please_ , you know you can’t pull anything. We _know_ you about your fight with T-”

“ _We?_ ” The assassin asks.

The cosplayer blanches for the slightest of moments, clearing having slipped up. She quickly attempts to collect herself, arguing back with, “I didn’t say--”

“Yes, you did.”

“No-- I mean _we_ as in our _classmates-_ ”

“ _No, you didn’t!_ ” Maki hisses, “Who is ‘ _we’?_ ”

“What is she talking about?” Shuichi tries to ask, but is subsequently ignored as the room increases in volume. Kaito is trying to handle the assassin with strong yet worried attempts of easement and reproach. K1-B0 was twitching, eyes blinking rapidly, something obviously on their mind while Kokichi was being rather silent, an oddity for the usually clamorous supreme leader. Tenko was desperately trying to avert her gaze from the assassin, worried sick about rekindling any sort of argument they had encountered during their own fight. 

Tsumugi desperately looks around, anxiously glancing at the destroyed cameras, almost as if waiting for something to happen to her. Waiting for somebody to reprimand her for slipping up _one_ minuscule word. Tenko couldn't help but wander who exactly she was looking for, _who_ exactly she needed to be frightened of.

Maki manages her way out of Kaito’s hold and approaches the chair, gripping Tsumugi by her collar and pulling her threateningly close to her face, “ _Listen_ here. You have _five seconds_ to explain just _who exactly Isobe is_ and _what exactly is happening_ or I swear I’ll-”

Unexpectedly, Tsumugi spits in the assassin’s face.

There’s a long, excruciating moment of silence as the entire class watches with wide eyes and hanging jaws. Maki’s stillness is the most petrifying, an expression so menacing and haunting that Tenko would have for sure burst into tears if she had ever received it. Kaito stands in total disbelief, facial expression initially shocked but then morphs into unconditional anger on Maki’s behalf. He steps back, releases the assassin, and all hell breaks loose.

Maki immediately lunges for the cosplayer. Himiko cheers from where she sat, starting a rather flippant chant of ‘ _fight! fight! fight! fight!’_. The Ultimate Assassin hisses while Tsumugi spits and growls back at her, and eventually both girls have to be restrained by Shuichi, K1-B0, Kaito, and the reluctant Tenko. Maki does not go down without a massive fight, however, leaving a few claw marks on Tsumugi’s neck and a nasty bruise just below her right cheekbone. Tsumugi lands a harsh headbutt, however it was most likely an attempt at knocking herself out.

Maki is pulled away by the Ultimate Astronaut, who grips her tightly by the shoulders and tells her that this _‘wasn’t the answer’_. K1-B0 rubs at their temples and Shuichi consults anxiously with the blank and expressionless Kokichi. Tenko returns to the couch and scribbles this new development down, copying Himiko’s own transcription that she had started seconds earlier.

Tsumugi is silent.

“Oh god-- _Okay,_ ” Shuichi tries to get everything back under control, the entire situation so out of hand and appalling, “Leave her alone. Let’s just-- Let’s back off for now.”

Maki and Tenko make eye contact. For a split second the assassin looks remorseful, _guilty_ , even. She spares a low grimace, a look that says, ‘ _shit i did it again my bad’_ , which Tenko shrugs half-heartedly at. That was not their main concern right now. 

A beat of tense silence. Maki shakes out her hands and heads for the supply pile.

“Should we assign surveillance shifts? Or should we not bother, considering how everybody is in the same room?” K1-B0 asks quietly, eyes nervously looking over at Tsumugi. Her blue hair covers her whole face, making it impossible to see what she was thinking or feeling.

“I say we don’t bother,” Kaito answers for the team, “But somebody needs to give her food.”

“I can!” Tenko offers, mainly as a peace treaty towards the astronaut. It seems to have worked slightly, as the amethyst teen smiles gratefully at her.

Kokichi, however, seemed to have caught onto something way before everyone else had. He stares blankly at the cosplayer, grin wide and unmoving, before shooting her a quick, “I’m not too sure if she’s that hungry. Hmm, Tsumugi?”

They receive no response. The only reply comes in the form of a rather serious muscle twitch from the cosplayer’s right arm. In the dreary quiet of the room, the rattling of the handcuffs and the scuffing of the metal chair all pointed towards something much more dire, a situation much more sinister as the blunette begins convulsing much more rapidly. Still, she refuses to speak, head still pointed downwards at her feet and hiding herself from view.

“Tsumugi?” Shuichi asks again, stepping forward. Now suddenly much more concerned, he reaches towards her hair and pulls it upwards, “Oh, she's, uh-- _She’s---_ ”

Tenko sharply inhales at what little of Tsumugi she could see: skin paling, lips turning slightly blue, eyes wide and unblinking. Shuichi moves to grab her face, but the cosplayer harshly turns away.

“ _She’s holding her breath,”_ Himiko voices urgently to the class.

The students all rush and crowd around the girl in the chair, who was trembling and thrashing, ducking away from the grabbing hands attempting to force her mouth open. Tenko could do nothing but stare, wide-eyed, at the scene in front of her. To think that somebody would _hold their own breath_ to escape further questions, to escape any more interrogation, was baffling to the Aikido Master. Baffling and disgusting. But there was definitely something clear and distinct that arose from this development, and it seems that Kokichi knew this too.

If she’s trying to get away from questioning, it means she knew something. She _knew_ something, and she wasn’t helping them. In fact, Tsumugi would rather _knock herself out_ than answer anything truthfully.

 _This seals it,_ Tenko has to convince herself, grimacing at the sight of all six of her remaining classmates hoarding the bluenette in distress and anger, _Tsumugi really is the mastermind._

The cosplayer is unconscious. 

The room returns to choking silence as the Ultimate Detective desperately checks for a pulse, any indication that she had not just killed herself right there. Luckily (was it lucky? was it unfortunate considering the situation they were in?), there was definitely a pulse when Shuichi felt her neck. Unluckily, Maki tells them, they’ve just lost perhaps another _day_ at least, as Tsumugi would most likely awaken at night time.

Tenko places her head in her hands. 

_Nowhere. This hopeless attempt to escape the killing game is going nowhere._

The conversation is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn guys this sleepover kinda sucks ngl :/


	29. that guy's got nothing on me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> brrrring! brrrring! brrrring!

> function_computerchat = enabled

> <user.tdkillinggamedevision> is online!

> <user.tdstorymanagementdevision> is online!

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: Hello, this is TD Story Management, Killing Game Devision. My role has been compromised and I require immediate assistance. 

<user.tdstorymanagementdevision> says: This is TD Story Management, I will need confirmation of who exactly this is.

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: Tsumugi Shirogane.

<user.tdstorymanagementdevision> says: Further evidence is needed.

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: RKRKATKMGKK (SHMK)

<user.tdstorymanagementdevision> says: Affirmative. Where are you located? Who is with you?

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: Hidden room connected to the girls bathroom. Currently no student is with me.

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: What are the chances I can speka with the higher up?

<user.tdstorymanagementdevision> says: *speak

<user.tdstorymanagementdevision> says: Low, Tsumugi. Nobody is happy with you, especially the Director. Are you in a suitable position to contact via video call a few hours from now? Let’s say midnight?

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: Will it be just you?

<user.tdstorymanagementdevision> says: Until everything is confirmed, yes.

<user.tdkillinggamedevision> says: Got it. I’ll see you then.

-=+=-

“Day 23 in the chamber,” Kokichi laments dramatically, sprawled across his spinny chair, “They ain’t found us yet but when they do they’re gonna be _real_ surprised.”

“It has been less than two days,” Maki replies, picking a card up from a disorganized pile.

Tenko and Himiko had finally managed to locate that forbidden deck of cards the assassin had mentioned, and are currently playing a rather intense game of Spoons with Maki and K1-B0. The “spoons” had been replaced by an assortment of items, including one (1) bandaid, one of Tenko’s sandals, and a large origami swan K1-B0 had folded from some old notebook paper but had become increasingly mangled as the game progressed.

Himiko was practically an expert at managing her cards, however Maki was so silent while picking up her “spoon” that it usually took a few more minutes before the other players realized it was gone. This created a competitive aura between the mage and the assassin, often leaving the Aikido Master and the robot fraught to catch up. The “trash talk” was _insane_ . Usually Tenko was so flabbergasted, her mouth hanging wide open, to even _attempt_ reaching for a spoon. It didn’t help that both of them had confidants that could be made fun of, because Maki had called Tenko “Himiko’s girlfriend” so many times to throw the mage off that the Aikido Master was seeing stars. The redhead would strike immediately back with playful jabs at the assassin’s flirting with Kaito, and they would both shut up.

The astronaut in question has sat himself on a couch, documents and files surrounding him, very passionately submerging himself into his own work. At some point, the Ultimate Detective had a chat with him. Tenko hadn’t heard much, but at the end of it they shared a rather stereotypical “bro hug”, with Shuichi handing the amethyst astronaut a few files and pointing at rather intense passages of text. To the Aikido Master’s relevant surprise, Kaito has been powering through a lot of them, using analytical skills that the brunette was unaware the astronaut held. But, to be fair, she probably shouldn’t have underestimated an _astronaut._

Shuichi was doing the same thing, however he had fallen asleep next to Kaito. The class knew he needed sleep, so they were careful not to wake him up.

Tenko had overheard Kokichi’s rather jarring comment about Kaede. Shuichi was not in a good head space to be yelled at. She was trying her hardest not to be too pushy with him.

The time was around 11:47 pm. Kaito yawns have become more persistent. As Maki predicted, Tsumugi had been knocked out for the rest of the day, leaving all of them with absolutely nothing to do. The documents on the work desk were proving fruitless, a lot of it just detailing the events of the killing game instead of giving clear information. Tenko remembers looking over towards Kaito at one point during the day, with his face hardened and features sharp. Obviously he had read something he did not want to read. She would have to ask just what exactly was on those documents later.

Especially the one that had the words ‘To Himiko, From Tenko’ on it. She didn’t remember writing any letter.

What could she have written? And to Himiko specifically? 

_Oh god, what if it was a LOVE LETTER?? Oh, jeez. Oh god oh NO. I do NOT need Kaito reading that._

But, luckily for her, Kaito was respectful enough to hand it over, the tape still sealed shut.

“None of my business,” Was his brief yet sleepy explanation, before he tossed the letter towards her lap and resumed his own work. Tenko had sat on it, hiding it from view, and continued her card game. She was well aware that Maki was looking for anything to use against the mage in their battle of wits, and a “love letter” would instantly win it for her. So Tenko made sure to keep it warm until further notice. She’ll open it in private. If she ever gets a moment of privacy, that is...

Close back in on the game, where Maki and Himiko had already grabbed two “spoons” of their own; Maki, the origami swan and Himiko, the lonesome bandaid. It was down to the considerably slower pair to grab the last item. To Tenko’s own luck, she manages to look up only briefly from her extreme focus on her cards and grab the remaining sandal. The three girls pause, giggling behind their hands, waiting voicelessly for K1-B0 to notice that they have beaten them.

They don’t move. In fact, after closer examination, it didn’t look like they were picking up any cards at all.

“Helllooo?” Himiko whistles, flapping her hands in front of the robot's face. 

K1-B0 shoots awake, looking for anything to grab but quickly realizes they’ve missed the ball, “Oh! My mistake, I was just… distracted.”

“What’s up, Keebs,” Maki asks bluntly, never making eye contact, voice low as she throws the items back into the pile. Himiko begins to shuffle the cards, and Tenko immediately is enraptured by how fluidly and fantastically she does it.

“Nothing,” They reply, “...It’s just…. My inner voice is very…. It’s very busy.”

“Nyeh?” Himiko hums.

K1-B0 waves their hands defensively, shaking their head and lending a rather strained smile, “I’m sure everything is fine!”

None of the three girls were necessarily sure what that meant, but the Ultimate Mage shrugs with a small, “Yeah. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

The robot is handed four cards and another game begins. It’s almost a complete replica of the last round; Himiko manages to complete her deck first, but as soon as she reaches to grab an item Maki follows so quickly it seems as if the item was never there in the first place. Tenko hesitantly follows, and K1-B0 once more falters behind. The robot is eliminated for real this round, but they seem too unfocused to care. 

Tenko squints. K1-B0 was never a classmate she was that necessarily fussed about, in fact she can’t recall holding any conversation with them that lasted longer than five lines. They were always just there, not a degenerate like Kokichi but at the same time not a friend like Himiko. They never rocked the boat. They had never been somebody that needed protection, never somebody that needed to be protected _from_ . The Ultimate Robot just… _existed_ in Tenko’s world. But for some odd reason, the Aikido Master found herself ensnared by them. By the subtle way they twitched, as if somebody had just shrieked into their ear. The way they blink furiously, in short and harsh intervals. 

Tenko didn’t feel close enough to them to ask what was wrong. And, if she was going to be depressingly honest, she wasn’t sure if anybody else was, either.

Leaning against the brunette’s shoulder, the Ultimate Mage yawns. 

“Getting tired, Himiko?” Maki taunts. Her voice cuts like knives, sharp and witty, “Maybe you should take a rest. And forfeit, mayhaps.”

Amidst their smack talk, K1-B0 stands up and leaves. Tenko was eliminated as well, but opted to stay and support her redheaded friend. From as far as she could remember, Himiko had never necessarily been too fond of the Ultimate Robot, most likely finding the technology baffling and confusing, so it makes sense why she allows them to leave without a second word. She was also far too preoccupied with something else.

“No! I will never give up!” Himiko retorts to the glaring assassin, fiercely picking up cards and checking whether they are eligible, “In fact, I advise _you_ give up, _Makiroll_ … For you have already passed the last four of hearts that you need!!”

The assassin blinks in shock, at both the nickname and the fact she was able to guess what cards she had in her hand, “Wh-- _How--”_

In the dark brunette’s fleeting moment of weakness, Himiko lunges for the final item (the sandal) and raises it triumphantly over her head. Maki reflexively twitches in surprise, but then purses her lips in civil congratulations, slowly applauding. Tenko joins in on her clapping, giggling endearingly at Himiko’s tiny victory dance. 

“I am vicarious!!” The mage chants, holding the Aikido Master’s sandal over her head.

“Victorious,” Kaito and Tenko correct in unison.

“Fair game, Carrot Top,” The Ultimate Assassin sighs, throwing her deck towards the center and ignoring Himiko’s blubbering response of ‘ _Carrot Top??’_ , “You too, Tenko. I guess.”

“I was awful!! But you were very good. It is clearly a hidden talent of yours!!” The Aikido Master attempts to joke. Maki exhales in laughter. It was nice to receive some kind of positive response from her. She had been so reserved previously, so closed off and cold. As much as Tenko loathed to admit it, Kaito is actually having an effect on her.

The class silently decides that it was time to sleep. Two out of eight were already unconscious: Shuichi tilting dangerously to the right, at risk of falling over onto Kaito’s lap, and Tsumugi with her jagged breathing and head to the floor. Himiko sloppily gives Tenko a hug and then falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. 

Tenko’s left sandal was lodged underneath the mage’s arm. Eh, whatever. She doesn’t need it.

The hidden room is still, incredibly quiet.

K1-B0 no longer needs to recharge, as they already had enough electricity from the previous night, so they grab a book and settle down in a corner. Again, it doesn’t seem like they were all too focused on the story, face contorting and twitching.

Kaito doesn’t stop working. It seems that Kokichi, still stationed at the work desk, has not stopped either. Typical degenerates…. Being all _overzealous_ and overworking themselves…. Go to _sleep_ , you _heathens………….._

Maki also didn’t seem super tired, pushing herself up against the couch and leaning against her elbow while she stares at what the Ultimate Astronaut had been working on. She, too, visibly hardens at the documents, but nevertheless seems way too invested to stop. 

Tenko tries telling herself that she would read the translations later, that she’ll face it _later_ , but in all honesty the Aikido Master was not ready to face whatever Tsumugi had planned for her. She knew it was going to happen eventually, because she had managed to overhear Kaito telling Shuichi that _everybody_ (that word was subtly jabbed at the detective, a reminder of his absence after the fourth trial) would sit down and discuss it.

Tenko grabs one of the spare blankets, draping it luxuriously over the Ultimate Mage and tucking her in gently, before curling into the opposite side of the couch. She cradles the memory notebook in her hands, reading through it until she tires herself out. This wasn’t an environment to fall asleep in. The temperature was rather chilling and anxiety lingered around every corner. But at least she wasn’t in a chair, like Tsumugi. 

_Maki said she would wake up during the night, right?_ Tenko thinks to herself, looking over towards the unconscious cosplayer with narrowed eyes, _Maybe I should stay up with some water? When was the last time she ate? Would she even accep-_

**BRRRRING! BRRRRING! BRRRRING!**

Tenko flinches, many of the sleeping occupants jerking awake. Shuichi almost flies off of the couch.

“Wh-What is that!?” Maki hisses, jolting quickly to her feet. 

**BRRRRING! BRRRRING! BRRRRING!**

The noise was coming from the computers. A large, almost inescapable screen had appeared, hiding every other digital document and chatroom behind it. A tiny, cartoonish icon of a telephone shakes and warbles as the computer sings out to the room, making sure that no resident could possibly be asleep. On the top, in sharp and linear typography, were the words ‘Incoming call…’

On the bottom, the startling word ‘Isobe’.

“O- _Oh_ \--” Shuichi stumbles, clearly staggering behind after just being woken up. 

He walks rather disorientedly over towards the work desk, trading places with the always-vibrant Supreme Leader, who was skipping over towards Tsumugi. Kokichi grabs her by the chin, shaking her head and presenting to the rest of the class that she was, in fact, awake. And apparently has been for a long time.

“Rise and shine!” He sings, gesturing over towards the incoming call. Shuichi was looking for a decline button, “This is your moment!!”

Tsumugi finally blinks back into her surroundings. As soon as she notices Isobe ringing, her eyes immediately widen, her face whitening as she stutters, “You-- _Why would you--_ ”

**BRRRRING! BRRRRING! BRRRRING!**

“Kokichi, I _told you not to do anything until we had everything figured out!”_ Shuichi scolds, his temper obviously shortened by his severe lack of sleep. 

Tenko finds herself taking a few deep inhales to once more steady her heart beat. Of _course_ this was Kokichi’s fault. Of COURSE it was some lying degenerate. Leave it to that purple little _menace_ to call one of the only people that has been _confirmed_ to be their captor. What’s going on? What’s happening? And could somebody turn this _stupid thing off???_

“ _What did you say, Shuichi!?_ ” Kokichi yells with way too much volume, “I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”

“It’s not _that_ loud!” Kaito remarks, huffing over towards the computers, “Are we answering, or what?”

“ _No!_ Don’t answer!” Tsumugi yips, jumping in her chair.

“What were you trying to do!?” Shuichi demands back at the Supreme Leader, flipping rapidly through a purple notebook that seemed to be incredibly full, “What was the plan here, Kokichi!?”

Himiko ruffles, rubbing her eyes as she awakens with much less ire than the rest of the class, “Nyeh… Could you guys keep it down…? I’m trying to sleep…”

Tenko immediately straightens, “You heard the lady!!!! _Be quiet or I’ll kick you in the shin!!!”_

“Nnnnghhh……… You too………..”

“We have a hostage. We can use her as leverage,” Maki suggests, stoic as ever. She walks over rather casually and grabs the metal pipe leaning against the wall, “I say we answer.”

“O-Okay, um, quick vote, everybody. Who here wants to answer?” At Shuichi’s question, Kaito, Maki, Kokichi, and K1-B0 raise their hands, “Okay, that’s majority-- Uh--”

Tsumugi must not have counted, because she was incredibly adamant on not replying to the incoming call, “ _Don’t_ answer! Don’t do it!”

The Ultimate Detective ignores her pleas and hits the answer button.

Tenko does not recognize the man on the screen. He is old, clearly in his late forties, with stress wrinkles to show it and bags under his beady brown eyes. He sits gruffly in a small cubicle, pictures of a small family taped neatly onto the walls. As the class of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles stand, waiting shakily, the businessman chats with a teenager behind him, clearly ignorant of the answered phone call.

“...Just make sure you’re taking notes,” Isobe tells the intern behind him, “Don’t know what she cou-”

“Uh, sir,” The intern motions, pointing anxiously towards the screen.

Tenko finds herself frozen, stiff as a board, sitting rigidly on the chaise longue. She’s just out of sight of the video camera, so narrowly hidden that if she were to scoot even slightly to the right she’d be on screen. And she does _not_ want to be in view. It’s a rather blunt reminder, isn’t it? Oh, hey there, guy! Remember me? You were supposed to kill me a few chapters ago?

The Aikido Master was expecting somebody who looked evil. She expected a man in dark, brooding clothing with a ginormous scowl and deep red eyes. Not this middle aged man who looks like he was experiencing multiple life crises at the exact same time.

“Oh, dear god,” He starts, staring at the screen in front of him. Staring at the assortment of characters with varied reactions. The only people currently on screen were Maki, with her petrifying glare, Shuichi, who hovered awkwardly over the keyboard, Kokichi, who was bouncing on his toes as if this was a joyous occasion, and Tsumugi, who was very nervously trying to avoid the businessman’s gaze. Himiko’s right arm was also visible, however the mage was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She, as well as Tenko, did not vote to answer the call.

“We have demands,” Maki says seriously, pipe sturdy in her hands.

“Oh dear _goooddd_ -” 

“Are you the highest ranked person there? We demand to speak with your boss.”

Isobe chuckles, dark and sarcastically, full of disbelief, before throwing his hands in the air and turning around towards the teenager behind him, “ _Jesus--_ Uh, kid. Get the Director on the phone, yeah? You know the secretary?”

“Yes, sir,” The intern says, scampering off without another word.

It worried Tenko by how close in age she and that intern were. Heck, even _Tsumugi_ was her age. There were kids working behind this vile, repugnant game. _Kids._

“Who are you?” Shuichi starts. He’s nervously tugging at his sleeves, “W-Who is behind all of this? The _Director?”_

Isobe huffs moodily, “That depends, how much did Shirogane tell you?”

“It doesn’t matter how much she told us,” Maki quickly dismisses, “Because _you_ are going to explain everything. Or else-”

“Or else what? I’m not sure what kind of _leverage_ you kids think you have, but it’s not going to work.”

“But didn’t you just ask for the Director?” K1-B0 queries from off screen.

“That’s only because we’ve managed to make contact with you all. This shit’s gone on long enough-- People are pissed--” The phone rings on his end and many of Tenko’s classmates visibly flinch, “Ope, here we go.”

The intern pops his head back into the cubicle, “You’ve got the Director on line 1-”

“Yeah, I got it.”

As Isobe picks up the work telephone, a dull cream color, the students finally take a moment to breathe. Saihara shifts uncomfortably, clearly disoriented and lowkey hyperventilating, sparing one last agitated glance at Kokichi before shuffling through the work desk for a leftover water bottle. Kaito joins Maki in view of the camera, sharing a hushed discussion, while K1-B0 cranes their neck just to see what exactly was happening on screen.

Himiko finally scoots out of the view of the monitor, leaning over towards Tenko with a whisper, “What’s going on…?”

“U-Um… Isobe? Iso-- I think that’s his name? He called us, for some reason,” The Aikido Master replies, trying to whisper but failing quite spectacularly, “I’m just trying not to…….. Be visible……”

“Good idea. I would use my invisibility magic, but my mana is too low….” Himiko replies drearily.

“...Yeah, all of ‘em,” Isobe says into the phone. Tenko is unable to hear who was on the other side, “No. No-- Yeah, Tsumugi’s tied up. They said they have demands. Sorry, what was-- What _are_ they?” The businessman looks back over to the screen, rather nonchalantly, “What are the demands?”

Shuichi begins to open his mouth, but is immediately overpowered by Maki stating, “Let us out of this game or we kill Tsumugi.”

The cosplayer twitches, her eyes bulging out of her head, but otherwise does not say anything.

“They said let them out of the game or they’ll kill Shirogane,” He recites back into the receiving end of the phone, rather unemotionally despite his coworker being threatened with death, “Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He turns back to the class, hand over the phone, “They said no.”

“Fine by me.” Maki shrugs, tossing the metal pipe into her grip and immediately walking over towards Tsumugi. The cosplayer instinctively cowers, yelping, but luckily for her the rest of the class blocks the assassin from doing anything too harsh this early in.

“We have your… mastermind-person tied up!! Doesn’t that mean anything!?” Kaito barks at the screen. 

“I mean….” Isobe grits his teeth in thought, before returning with, “No.”

“Uh????? _Fuck you????”_ Tsumugi retorts bitterly. Tenko blinks in shock, sending her a baffled facial expression. She is not used to the cosplayer just flat out dropping an f-bomb. The worst swear word Tenko has said out loud that she can remember is “damn” and “hell”. Fuck is foreign.

Isobe shrugs tensely, “Tsumugi, I don’t know why this is such a shocker. You _signed_ those papers.”

“Sto- Ssssshh!” Tsumugi tries to hush, but very quickly realizes that it was too late, “Come _on_ ! You just _confirmed_ I’m working with you, idiot! I hadn’t told them anything!”

The businessman sighs, as if he was trying to control his four year old kid, “Oh, drop it. They already know.”

“It’s true. We do.” K1-B0 nods, as if that was any consolation.

“...So she’s not exactly needed,” It’s frighteningly blunt, how expendable Isobe makes the cosplayer sound, “We’ll just throw someone else in.”

Tenko raises an eyebrow at the last statement but does not comment on it.

“S-So you’re just gonna let them kill me!?” Tsumugi spits, voice wavering.

“You’re already in enough trouble, Shirogane, I don’t know what else to say!!” If you _squinted_ , you might be able to see a hint of regret in the businessman's features. This was not a quality that Tenko was willing to explore in a _degenerate_ , “It’s either by _their_ hands or _ours._ It was gonna happen eventu-”

“Nyeh? ‘In trouble’?” Himiko attempts to ask.

Tsumugi, very emotionally, whips her head around and tells Himiko, “Oh, _shut up-_ ”

Tenko is already on her feet, pulling up her socks and ready to fistfight, “Please do not tell her to shut up!!!!! I do not want to hit a girl!!!!”

Unknowingly, she steps into sight of the monitor. The intern brightens once he sees her, frantically rustling to grab his phone and take a video. The conversation continues for a bit, all while the intern was holding up his phone, inconspicuously filming the Aikido Master.

“Ey!” Himiko yaps upon seeing him, “No photography during the show!”

Tenko squints at the monitor and notices that she’s being filmed. Rather uncomfortably, her face morphs into that of disgust and revulsion, her hands flying into a fighting stance.

“ _Don’t_ film me, _degenerate male!!_ ” She hisses.

To her surprise, and slight horror, the intern releases a starstruck laugh, “Aw, man! She said it! She called me-- _Pahaha!”_

“Put the phone down, son,” Isobe instructs, before returning back to his phone call.

Tenko scowls at the intern, but he only smiles. It makes her feel pathetic. She hates him.

Shuichi has turned around, his back facing the screen as he silently mouths words to the Ultimate Supreme Leader and the Ultimate Astronaut. The green-eyed girl is unable to hear most of the conversation, but noticing how gritted Kaito’s teeth are and how disappointed Shuichi looked it most certainly couldn’t be pleasant. 

Maki hovers very dangerously behind Kaito, almost as if willing herself not to jump out and attack the cosplayer. The entire class seems to just have assumed that if they blatantly ignore Isobe the problem would be gone. If they can’t see him, he can’t see them.

Kokichi has a plan. It’s very obvious with how he stands there, devilishly smiling and tapping his shoes against the floor. But he won’t say anything. He never has. The only time he let Tenko in on his diabolical scheming was that whole “Clown Crusade” fiasco, and even then it didn’t technically count because _Shuichi_ was the one to tell her. The purple teenager was incredibly secretive, and always seemed way ahead of all of the other classmates. If Shuichi was two steps ahead, then Kokichi was five. While they were out playing 2D chess, Kokichi was out there playing _4D._

But Tenko can read faces. And she knows Kokichi has a plan. 

“Aw, man! Oh, well. Hang up, I guess,” Kokichi sighs dramatically, “She already told us about the back route, so there’s really no point in calling.”

The Aikido Master has never heard of this “back route”. And judging by the subtly confused looks on her classmate’s faces, _including_ Tsumugi, none of them have either.

“Back route?” Isobe asks for clarification, “What do you-- What do you m-”

Tsumugi begins to stutter an answer but is rather abruptly interrupted by Kokichi, “Non non! No worries! We’ll just kill her and then escape, yeah?” 

A beat of tense silence.

“... You’re bluffing.” The businessman chided.

“Awwww man! Ya got me! Yeah, I was totally lying,” Kokichi shrugs. Tenko wasn’t smart enough to keep up with this. She was the _brawn_ , for goodness sake, not the brains, “Or was I…? Guess we’ll find out! See you soon, I guess…”

“No-! Hold on,” Isobe exhales loudly and returns back to the phone call, this time turning himself around so that the class would find it harder to hear him. The intern was still filming, a snide smirk on his face. Tenko has never felt so inclined to punch a computer screen before.

It seems Kaito notices how uncomfortable she is, because he nonchalantly side-steps so that he blocks her from view. He’s the only one there who is tall enough to cover her. It’s a tiny gesture, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I don’t know _what_ he means by ‘back route’-- No. No, yeah,” Isobe’s temper allows his volume to raise just enough for the students to hear, “...I’ll let them know. Thank you. Yeah-- Thank you.”

He hangs up. After another brief moment of pause, allowing the businessman a moment of peace to recollect himself, he finally turns around with a pointed look of exasperation, “Alright. We heard you. The boss says they’ll be instructions faxed over to you eventually. If you don’t see it by next morning then check the printer in K1-B0’s Research Lab."

 _That worked?_ Tenko blinks, _They must want to keep Tsu alive since she knows things they don’t, but holy crap, that worked!?!?!?_

“I-I’m sorry, _instructions_? For what?” Shuichi interrogates.

“You got what you wanted, kid,” Isobe replies gruffly, “The Director’s gonna hear you out. Got it? We’ll decide from there.”

“Decide what?” Maki growls, “What is going to happen?”

“Keep Tsumugi alive, and the instructions will come. Okay?”

“How do we know this isn’t some ploy to get us out of this room, huh? Just tell us the instructions now!” Kaito demands.

“I don’t have em! It’s not in my hands anymore,” For some odd reason, he sounded almost _relieved_ by that statement. Like after weeks of meticulous planning, of tiresome and hair-pulling stress, it was no longer up to him what went down anymore, “I’m taking a break. Go crazy, guys. ‘Cause your ‘story manager’ is out for the holidays,” As he reached over towards the red decline button, he smugly quips, “You're on your own, Shirogane.”

The cosplayer looks down at the floor. Nervous sweat glues her greasy hair to her forehead.

“...Go to hell, Isobe,” She spits.

The businessman chortles bitterly, “See you there.” 

Despite the class yelling and demanding that he further elaborate what he was talking about, Isobe reaches over and abruptly ends the call. Before it concluded, the intern slyly waved at the Aikido Master. Tenko digs her nails into her palms.

As soon as it’s over, Maki punches Kokichi rather gruffly in the shoulder. “For nearly screwing everything up”, she had justified. When in reality, that supreme leader had just got them one step closer towards freedom. One step closer towards seeing the outside world again.

Tenko would have never thought it would be through negotiation. She thought she would have to throw hands.

The class of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles stood in suffocating silence. What did this mean for them now? Was this another, final class trial? What were they demanding? To _who_ were they bargaining with? If anybody had the answer, nobody had spoken up. Nobody was ready to come face to face with the organization that had imprisoned them, nobody was ready to step outside from the safety of the hidden room to collect the instructions. Nobody was ready. 

The Ultimate Mage shifts under the weight of the tension and very slowly picks up Tenko’s sandal.

“....Anyone up for ‘Spoons’?” Himiko offers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> question of the day: out of the remaining cast members, who is the "mom friend" and why? this is in no way important to the story but i need to know for personal reasons. also while you're at it which "friend" do you see the other characters as?
> 
> thank you for reading!!! be sure to drink water, take your meds, and stay safe!!! :D


	30. at last, at last, at long last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a quick trip to k1-b0's lab

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have but one (1) note for you all:
> 
> 1) gamers, i don't know how to tell you this, but i genuinely forgot that nanokumas were a thing. needless to say, i was not writing this story with them in mind, so therefore they are non-existent in this universe. the security cameras act as the main surveillance 
> 
> alright, enjoy!!!! :D

Morning arrives and there are no instructions to be seen. That meant it was in K1-B0’s lab.

Nobody in the hidden room was denying that it was incredibly suspicious. The Ultimate Robot’s lab was outside, in plain view of the surveillance cameras, meaning that someone would have to leave the safety of the mastermind’s hideout to retrieve it. It most definitely felt like a trap. What once was a discussion of where it was going to be retrieved from was now an argument of who was going to retrieve it.

The group had huddled into a circle, with Tsumugi involuntarily sitting out. Tenko and Himiko were sitting on the couch (“sitting on the couch” meant Himiko was crouching on top of the back part while Tenko sat on the floor with her elbows propped onto the cushions. Kaito had asked why they couldn’t just sit normally but received no justification), listening intently. 

“I-I think the most logical course of action to take is to send two people out,” Shuichi begins formally, but then drops out and allows the others to take over the discussion. Tenko sorta felt bad. The teen was clearly tired and has been very lackluster in his leadership lately.

“Okay. I’ll volunteer,” Maki immediately says.

“Cool, me too!” Kaito adds. His normally gelled updo has fallen flat, his natural curl beginning to coil his hair.

“No, not you,” The assassin cuts bluntly, “Somebody else.”

“Huh!? Why not!?”

The class stare at him with concern. They weren’t dumb. They had all seen him running into the kitchen, hacking and coughing up blood. Hell, even Tenko knew he wasn’t in any position to be throwing himself in danger. The last time she had punched him, _once,_ he very clearly had blood peeking out from the corner of his lips. The Ultimate Astronaut was in no shape to go outside. But there was no way he was going to admit that, either.

“Aw, come on, guys!” He attempts to reason, eyebrows furrowed, “Don’t underestimate the strength of Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!”

“Yeah, great. Anybody else?” Maki says to the remainder of the group, ignoring Kaito’s childish scoff. 

“I volunteer Himiko!” Kokichi announces.

“Nyeh!? It’s too late, I’m asleep!” The mage responds just as quickly, hastily throwing herself onto Tenko’s lap and fake snoring.

The Aikido Master looks around the circle. Clearly, not everybody was as willing to step outside. The smallest students, Kokichi and Himiko, had already been ruled out based simply on size and physical strength, so it all came down to the Ultimate Aikido Master, the Ultimate Robot, and the Ultimate Detective himself. Her competition was real slim considering K1-B0 was still completely out of it, and Shuichi was already calling himself a failure and he hasn’t even _moved_ to volunteer yet.

_And considering how this whole thing is kinda my fault…._

“I-I can go!!” Tenko offers with false enthusiasm, “It’s just to K1-B0’s lab, right?”

Maki nods, disconnecting from the circle. Clearly the Aikido Master was her first choice of company, “Okay, that’s two. I’m bringing a pipe for protection, do you want anything, Tenko?”

 _Wow_ , that was quick, “No thanks!! I’m better free-handed.”

“Are you sure the two of you will be okay?” Shuichi questions softly, “You’re ready for this?”

The Ultimate Assassin always looked ready. To her, danger and the threat of death was the usual (slightly concerning). On the other hand, the Ultimate Aikido Master looked a lot more tense and unprepared. She’s quite scared of pain!! Especially pain that seems almost impossible to stop!!

Himiko had “woken up” from her “sleep”, staring upwards at the brunette with concerned eyes. Maki also looks over at Tenko, expecting an answer, to which she receives a disorganized, “Yep! Yea-- Uh-- Mmhmm!” from the Aikido Master. 

Kokichi, detached from the conversation, begins clapping his hands inconspicuously to an incredibly disorganized rhythm, playing it off as unconscious boredom. Shuichi was very clearly listening. It’s that stupid morse code again. And whatever the supreme leader had just told him, the detective clearly was not very keen on. Shuichi shakes his head, dismissing the silently clapped statement entirely. It worried Tenko. Kokichi clearly wanted him to do something. And she wasn’t sure if she trusted the detective to just play so carelessly with her life like that.

He notices Tenko staring and quickly shoots her the tiniest of gestures. One that says ‘ _it’s okay, please don’t make this a big deal’._ The brunette frowns unpleasantly back.

“We won’t be long,” Maki waves, tossing the steel pipe over her shoulder and sparing the green-eyed girl a nod. The Aikido Master glances suspiciously at the Ultimate Detective, but stiffly agrees to walk with Maki, anyway. 

“Do you remember where it is?” K1-B0 asks, “I can quickly sketch a map, if you’d like!!”

The assassin takes a moment to ponder. The academy was huge. They could certainly use some directions that lead them down the quickest possible path, “Actually, that’d be great, thanks.” 

The Ultimate Robot skips over towards the work desk, blinking harshly one last time before constructing a rather hastily crafted map with the help of Kaito. The room falls back into disconnected small conversations; Shuichi begins a rather humorous conversation with Himiko, Kokichi starts jokingly mocking K1-B0 in hopes of a reaction (which he very quickly receives), and Maki converses silently with the amethyst astronaut. 

Tenko was uselessly hoping that the instructions would fax themselves to the tiny machine under the work desk. She _really_ didn’t want to walk outside. But it was way too late to back out now, K1-B0 was finishing their map and Maki was already set on the two of them being the adventurers. It made sense that the two girls responsible for the alarms going off and the subsequent shut down of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles would be the ones to risk their safety. 

Especially since they kicked each other’s asses. They needed this trip to reconcile. It was like a “Get-Along Shirt”, except the shirt was a dangerous walk in full view of cameras and possible death.

She glances around the room again, preparing herself to head to the Ultimate Research Lab. The only time she stepped foot outside of the hidden room was when she had to use the restroom. Luckily she was not shot down with a firearm while trying to flush the toilet.

She needed a distraction, needed something to do…. Hm hm hm. 

_Oh!! Tsumugi!! She needs water, right? When was the last time somebody fed her? I should do that!!_

The Aikido Master shuffles rapidly over towards the supply pile, grabbing one of the plastic water bottles. She was unsure if she was allowed to take any food, especially for the _hostage_ , but they had plenty of water to spare. Upon realizing that they were going to be hiding, for a considerably large amount of time, Kaito had immediately grabbed four boxes of plastic water bottles, with twenty four in each package. Maki had grabbed bags of food, but had to drop some in order to assist the Ultimate Astronaut in carrying the excessive amounts of heavy packages he was lifting. K1-B0 acquired the blankets, and Shuichi snatched the medication. Kokichi had returned with pages upon pages of documents and notes from his own dorm, as well as a rubix cube and the deck of cards they had just used to play ‘Spoons’. 

Tenko slinks over towards the metal chair. Tsumugi was looking backwards, craning her neck to see the computer screen behind her, squinting her eyes to see. Her spectacles had been removed at some point, most likely during the scuffle with Maki, leaving her with less-than-average eyesight. 

The bluenette wasn’t necessarily happy upon Tenko’s arrival, however she didn’t seem too repulsed either. 

“Don’t want it,” She had spat, stubbornly refusing to maintain eye contact.

Tenko raises an eyebrow but nevertheless remains patient, “It’s water.”

“Don’t want it,” She repeats.

The Aikido Master did _not_ appreciate her spitting the first sip of water she took all over her skirt, but Tsumugi accepted it in the end, so Tenko can get over it.

As the Aikido Master puts away the plastic bottle, the cosplayer mutters something. Her head is down, her long hair still covering her pale face, so the whispered statement definitely was not intended for the entirety of the class. 

“Hm?” Tenko hums, asking for clarification.

“Did Kokichi tell you anything?” She mumbles, looking up with her hollow teal eyes.

What a loaded question. And quite random, too. Short answer, no. Long answer, yes. However, if she was referring to recently and holding any sort of significance other than calling her “Karate Kid” for the fourteenth time, then no.

“Uh…. no?” She whispers back, “Was he… supposed to?”

The cosplayer looks backwards again, at the bright computer screen. Currently, two chat rooms were up: one in Japanese (a rather rigid conversation between Tsumugi and Isobe), and another one in English (less formal, but Tenko couldn’t read it so she couldn’t really comment). Tsumugi couldn’t see it, Tenko realized. It was too far, her vision too blurry.

“...I guess not,” The cosplayer mutters, clicking her tongue before mumbling a low, “Who is he chatting with...?”

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” She spits harshly, snapping her head back towards the Aikido Master, “I’m talking to myself.”

 _Yeesh_ . Tsumugi wasn’t really in any place to be so cruel. The memories were still jumpy, and Tenko couldn’t necessarily say she trusts _all_ of them, but the cosplayer had always been pretty cold towards her leading up to this point, hasn’t she? If Tenko thinks back to the first “Clown Crusade” meeting, with the designated “order” of deaths, it did make a little sense that the mastermind of the killing game would be bitter towards the one person who screwed everything up. But at the same time, screw her??? What has Tenko done to deserve any of that besides avoid death? Was that in itself a crime, unknowingly escaping her early demise and causing the downfall of a killing game?

And how could the cosplayer orchestrate that? How was she able to create a game so perfectly constructed that she was able to predict, _accurately,_ who was to kill who? How was _Tsumugi_ , the same teenager who couldn’t see properly without spectacles and made _Naruto_ references every three seconds, able to pull this off? Again, it hurts Tenko’s head to think about. She can only take one thing at a time. If she was super worried about it, she’ll consult with Himiko once they’ve grabbed the instructions.

“I’ll ask to get you some food once we get back,” Tenko concludes politely. There’s a pounding from her “all-women-deserve-protection” philosophy that still lingered in the back of her skull, compelling her to be at least _civil_ with the bluenette, “Hey… do you know where your glasses we-”

“Has anybody…. _else_ … talked to you?” She whispers.

Tenko blinks, checking around her. This secret conversation was pretty exciting, like some twisted form of gossip, except with your captor, “Like who?”

Tsumugi mumbles something else to herself, something about ‘them not voting for...’. Tenko did not know who “them” was, nor what the “voting” meant.

Back over where the rest of the classroom was, Shuichi had managed to chat with Maki. It was a low, urgent conversation, and he kept looking over at the Aikido Master.

“Tenko,” Maki calls as soon as the conversation is over, “Let’s go.”

“Coming!!” Tenko replies rather nervously.

The cosplayer turns back around to the computer screen, eyes narrowed, desperately attempting to look into the chatroom. Whoever Kokichi was chatting with seemed to be of high importance to her.

Tsumugi’s glasses had fallen underneath her chair, Tenko realizes. If she returns, she’ll give them to her.

-=+=-

“Coast is clear, Tenko,” Maki sighs heavily, pipe clutched firmly in her right hand, “Hurry up.”

“Sorry!!” The Aikido Master replies genuinely, tripping over herself to reach the assassin.

How terrifying. Nothing had gone wrong, _yet_ , however it was incredibly clear that the two girls were being watched. The cameras were all on, pointing directly at the pair, following them slowly as they trekked through the empty academy.

The academy itself was also ominous, incredibly gloomy and unalive. It was perhaps the most silent that Tenko has ever seen the school, so suffocating in its stillness that she found herself holding her own breath at certain points just so she wouldn’t make any noise. The lights had been shut off, save for some natural lighting and a few lamps scattered here and there. Dust is beginning to accumulate on desks and cabinets, very clearly untouched. Tenko’s sandals, which were usually fairly noiseless against the tiling, now banged against the floor like pots and pans being slammed together.

The silence was only further deepened by the terrible communication skills between Maki and Tenko. It seems that without Kaito or Himiko to segway the conversation, they were both left with awkward remnants of a discussion. Their previous fight had been forcibly shoved into the past, even though it was only a couple of days ago, with Maki refusing to comment. The Aikido Master wasn’t sure if she had just gotten over it super quickly, or if she was just really good at hiding any discomfort from the event.

It’s like it never happened, yet it was all Tenko could think about.

They cut through the courtyard. K1-B0’s lab is within sight. The earthy-eyed teenager feels herself shiver as they step outside. It’s too open. They’re too vulnerable. 

Maki never walks beside her. She is always lingering close behind. No matter how quickly or how slowly Tenko walks.

“How’s Himiko?” Maki very abruptly asks. The Aikido Master jolts, surprised by the sudden conversation.

“O-Oh, yeah, she’s fine, I think!!” Tenko replies excitedly, happy that she finally had something to talk about, “We think everything has come back about now, and if we’re still confused about anything we just talk to each other!! Himiko’s so lovely to talk to!! She’s really funny and nice and she’s so cute, too!! Like a little flower!! Annnd….”

She zips her mouth closed once she realizes the assassin wasn’t listening. The dark brunette was staring directly forward, eyes glossy and unfocused.

Maki notices the silence, “Hmm?”

Tenko purses her lips, then returns with a tight, “Uh, nothing. It’s fine!! What were you thinking about?”

She blinks, face showing only the slightest bit of negative emotion, “Nothing.”

“H-How’s Kaito?” Tenko asks, attempting to save the conversation.

The stoic girl faintly blushes, the upturned corners of her lips betraying her, “Fine. How would I know?”

“O-Oh, well, you two just seem close! And you look happy around him all the time.”

“I do?”

“Yes! You’re all giggly and smiley-”

“Why are we talking about this?” She dismisses quickly, averting her gaze so the Aikido Master can’t see her red cheeks.

And they’re back to square one. Stifling silence. 

“What was Shuichi talking to you about?” Tenko blurts out. The question comes out of thin air, with no segway or transition into it, “Back there… In the hidden room.”

“When was this?”

“Uh-- Right before we left!! He just kept… looking at me.”

The Ultimate Assassin again falters in speaking, carefully choosing which words she should use in her approach. Her face melts and morphs only slightly, piecing together sentences as she wobbles the map absentmindedly. 

“He told me to walk behind you,” She finally said, certain and unwavering, “For protection.”

“Oh-- Wah-- I don’t need protection, not from him!! I appreciate _you_ , though-!”

“He was just worried about you, that’s all. I think Kokichi told him something that made him anxious.”

Tenko raises an eyebrow, now concerned, “What… did he say?”

“I wouldn’t know. Something about a paper,” She gestures forwards, towards the lab, “The instructions, maybe.”

Tenko knew they weren't talking about that. It was that damn slip of paper that had fallen out of Tsumugi’s pocket, the pattern of letters. The death order. The Aikido Master knew that only one of them was supposed to make it out alive, and it wasn’t Tenko. That must have been what the detective was worried about. Maki was a designated survivor; their captors wouldn't touch her unless they wanted the killing game to fall apart even more. Tenko was supposed to die. She was free game.

It felt weird, knowing a _degenerate_ was worried about her, but nonetheless she doesn’t speak up about it. The rest of the walk is silent.

K1-B0’s lab hurt Tenko’s eyes. The color scheme was overwhelming electric blues and greens, a harsh juxtaposition to the softer colors of the outside. The Aikido Master was not in there very often, and for a good reason. It was way too much to take in, and it made her uncomfortable. The lights were all turned on in full blast, indicating the room was clearly supposed to be used. The printer sat in the back, whirring ominously. 

Maki hovers around the entrance for a moment, body halfway hidden by the doorway as she analyzes the contents of the room. Unsure of what she should be doing, Tenko shuffles back and forth between the inside and the outside, shooting nervous glances at the Ultimate Assassin as if voicelessly asking her what was happening. 

“Um?? Is it clear to en-”

Tenko is grabbed rather forcibly by the arm, shoved harshly away from the doorframe.

“ _Ow!!_ ” She hisses, “Please be careful with me, I am very sensitive!!!”

“Sorry,” Maki says, but doesn’t mean it, “But be quiet. Look-”

The Aikido Master cranes her head to look inside the laboratory. Sure enough, Maki had been correct in her immediate suspicion. Waddling around K1-B0’s Ultimate Research Lab was one of the Monocubs. The pink one. Monophanie, wasn’t it?

In the bear’s hands, a pile of dark clothes. She was looking for something, ducking under counters and through cabinets, unusually silent and without company. 

“...Odd,” The assassin hums, “Could have sworn she died.”

“She _died!?_ ” Tenko harshly whispers back, receiving a sharp hush back. To be fair, she couldn’t remember having _any_ conversation involving the remaining Monocubs after the “Clown Crusade” meeting. 

“ _Yes._ During the last trial. You were too… busy with Himiko,” Maki did not once look back during the conversation, her blood red irises planted firmly on the uncharacteristically stiff teddy bear, “It’s... looking for something.”

And it was failing. Monophanie seemed to have given up, halting in the middle of the floor in disappointment. Instead of sighing out of agitation, or huffing in annoyance, the bear just looked forward, eyes emotionless. Completely lifeless. Without character. And with no warning or acknowledgement, the bear begins walking towards the entrance. 

Tenko and Maki quickly duck behind the wall. The assassin holds the pipe over her head, ready to bring it down, while the Aikido Master quickly shifts into a powerful fighting stance. Monophanie does not seem to care. In fact, all she does is give them both a blank stare, adjusts the pile of dark clothes in her arms, and scampers off.

“...It looks clear,” Maki says uncertainly, “But be cautious.”

Tenko nods, still slightly confused about the Monophanie situation but willing to overlook it for now. She tiptoes forward, remaining close to the walls like Maki was, squinting heavily at the computer screens with blocks and blocks of foreign code. Every so often, the Ultimate Assassin would very suddenly pause, almost as if she had heard something, looking around the room. Tenko, however, was not as careful, instead more worried about returning as quickly as possible. 

The printer was up the staircase and in the middle of the second floor. A hefty stack of paper was already in the printer’s tray.

Tenko clomps up to the second floor, three steps at a time, grabbing hastily at the instructions and crumpling a few corners. The typography was small, written in Times New Roman, making the blocks of text a nightmare to read. In total, Tenko quickly counted sixteen pages of instructions, forming a hideous pamphlet that felt heavy in her hands.

“Finale,” The Aikido Master reads, slowly, the words cold on her lips. She quickly turns backwards, throwing a look over the railing, “I got it, Maki!”

“I can see that.”

Tenko bleats, hands flying up to protect herself as Maki appears at her side seemingly out of nowhere, “ _Wh- AAA-!!!”_

“May I?” She asks, extending her hands out for the pamphlet and ignoring the Aikido Master’s shaky breathing as she forces herself to calm down, “...‘ _Finale’_ , hm.”

“What’s it say??” Tenko badgers, “What’s on it??”

“I’m reading it,” Maki replies rather patiently, “...Damn, this is long. It’s a manual.”

“For what?”

“Negotiation,” The assassin states plainly, but silences immediately afterwards with little explanation, “Let’s head back.”

“What’s on it?”

“We’ll read it there,” Maki assures the defeated Tenko, “But for now, we need to get out of the camera’s sight.”

Tenko runs a hand through her short hair, scratching her scalp, “But Monophanie seemed alright with us being here!”

Maki pauses, long and quietly, “...This whole situation is too suspicious. Let’s move.”

The pair walk out of K1-B0’s lab way too easily. With the exception of the surveillance cameras, they were not being followed. It all seemed too convenient, way too simple. And that leaves the Aikido Master to think more suspiciously, thinking about what exactly could or has gone wrong. Who was conspiring against them. Who was conspiring against _her_.

Maki ruffles through the instruction manual. It’s painful to Tenko’s ears.

-=+=-

“‘ _Finale’_ ,” Kokichi reads the instructions with a pompous accent, “Woooow, how foreboding!”

There was clear shock upon the pair’s rather swift return. Everybody had expected _something_ to go wrong, had expected _something_ to happen to at least one of them. To see both of them back, limbs attached and health perfect, was quite appalling to the few who were bracing themselves for heartbreak.

“It’s a negotiation,” Maki explains as the Ultimate Detective attempts to read the almost miniscule font. Her steel pipe was chucked back against the wall, causing the unprepared K1-B0 to jolt at the loud noise, “Almost like a rewritten class trial.”

“We’ve been given one day for investigation,” Shuichi says seriously, flicking through the papers and handing Kaito a few notable ones, “This is all hands on deck. We’ll assign places to search.”

“I’m confused… what are we investigating?” Himiko asks. Upon Tenko’s return, she had barrelled into the Aikido Master’s chest, practically knocking the wind out of the brunette.

“Discrepancies,” The detective replies, “Saying we ‘don’t deserve to be here’ isn’t going to be enough for them. We have to explain why this killing game deserves to be destroyed. We are looking for _any_ reason why this game is faulty.”

“Oh, _I_ see,” Kokichi drawls, “They're not gonna kill us through mass execution. They’re gonna kill us with words!”

 _That’s not entirely incorrect,_ Tenko reckons internally, _They had every opportunity to attack Maki and I while in K1-B0’s lab. They’re waiting._

What if they already had their own goal set, permanent and unmoveable, and no matter how hard they tried their fates were already sealed? Everybody else's untimely murders and executions seemed pre-planned, previously organized. Who’s to say this wasn’t some theatrical event, some fantastical presentation, some _Grand Finale_ to play into their sick entertainment? Tenko was still going to try, no matter what, because she wanted Himiko to survive. But was there really a point? 

Shuichi looks only slightly disappointed in the supreme leader, but quickly returns back to his serious persona, “That’s-- We’re going to work hard so that _everybody_ gets out of here. That’s our final goal, alright? _Nobody dies._ So work hard. No piece of evidence is useless. We’re taking _everything_ into consideration.”

K1-B0 raises their hand.

“You don’t have to raise-- Uh, yes, K1-B0?”

“Who are we negotiating with?” The Ultimate Robot queries.

The detective looks over at Kaito, who was hastily skipping through the instruction manual. The amethyst astronaut mutters to himself, but then uncertainly replies with, “It… There will be people there to escort us in- guards, almost-- but, um… Other than that, I think we’re just talking to the Director.”

“ _Just_ the Director?” Tenko asks, “Easy peasy!! It’s seven against one! We can beat that degenerate male, no question!”

“It doesn’t say anywhere that it’s a male. What if it’s a _girl?_ ” Kokichi mockingly gasps, “Oh no, Tenko! That’s like-- You’re _only_ weakness!”

It’s true, but Tenko flusters anyway, “Z-Zip it, menace!”

“Guys, please, this is serious,” Maki sighs, “Kaito and I will take the library. There are some things I want to check out again.”

“Thank you,” Shuichi says, “I’m gonna head to K1-B0’s lab, and check for anything else that might be there.”

“And I’ll come with!!” Kokichi announces, almost posing it as a question.

“And Kokichi will come with,” The detective nods.

“Is it alright if we check the computer lab?” Himiko asks. She doesn’t even need to clarify that she’s going with Tenko. She only needs to say ‘ _we’_ and people would know the pair was together. It made the Aikido Master’s heart flutter, “We’ll start from there and head down.”

“Sounds perfect. K1-”

“I think I will stay here,” The robot replies instantly, their face hardened and eyes unfocused, “To-- Erm-- Watch over Tsumugi.”

The restrained cosplayer solemnly looks up, but just as quickly lets her head drop. In her eyes, a look of anticipation. Like she needed to say something. Like she needed to say something to _them._

The team nods, comfortable with the game plan despite how broad it truly was. The only thing they had been told to do was “look for discrepancies from the killing game”. Tenko could already name one major discrepancy from what was supposedly fated to happen. Her name starts with a T and ends with Enko. 

What discrepancies were _true_ ? One of the first things Shuichi had said was that the flashback light, the one she had been ever so gracefully memory-wiped with, was capable of implanting false events into a person’s head. Who’s to say that red herrings hadn’t been planted into the brains of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles, just to screw them up during this negotiation? Who’s to say there even _is_ a negotiation? What if they were all being lured out of their secret hiding spot, out into the open, with the promise of a so-called “fair investigation”, just so Monokuma could gun them down?

Who’s to say that every single one of her classmates would make it out of that negotiation? Tenko had this pit feeling in the bottom of her stomach, one that pointed towards the death order and the way it skipped over her. She was _meant_ to die, and it made a lot of sense for the Director to specifically have her killed.

In a life or death situation, she can’t count on all of her classmates to choose her life over their freedom. It’s a sacrifice she was supposed to make, a sacrifice she _should_ have made two trials ago.

“Do your best, alright?” Kaito says to the group, who are all in desperate need of his unwavering optimism and determination, “I believe in you all! We won’t go down without a fight!!”

Oh, Tenko will fight, alright. But considering how her fate is already sealed, she’ll fight for Himiko instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> instructions? retrieved  
> investigation? started  
> hotel? trivago


	31. young guard dog and little lost girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 1 of investigation. yikes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eheheheehehheh things are abrewin' lads

“I SPY with my LITTLE EYE….” Himiko inhales dramatically, “Something….. Green!”

The venture to the computer lab was fairly irrelevant. The blue and red pair had taken photos, recorded the Virtual World transcript both in their monopads as well as their own notebook, and had a brief conversation about the events that transpired. Tenko can’t remember the exact moment they had begun playing ‘I Spy’, but the two of them had noticed how tense and strained it was and decided a game would be best. Upon realizing the computer room had little to investigate, the duo began their descent, quickly popping their head into passing rooms. 

They peep into Korekiyo Shinguji’s Research Lab.

“Is it that cat statue?” Tenko asks, pointing at a feline-esque figure encased in glass. Despite being in _his_ lab, the Aikido Master was immediately drawn to the “adorable” cat statue.

“Nope,” Himiko replies, taking one hasty picture of a page from the “Caged Child” book. Old monofiles, still leftover from the previous trial, were being used in order to collect evidence. That meant every piece of information from Miu and Gonta’s trial were still left over, clogging the screen. The pair exit with them in hand.

Neither of them were voicing it, but both of them were clearly anxious. It was visible in Tenko, itching mercilessly at the scab on her leg and running her hands so forcefully through her hair that she was shedding. It was visible in Himiko, gnawing frequently at her bright red bottom lip and ringing her hands harshly together. The rest of their class had been so… so _professional_ . So _serious_ . Sure, it was all well to hide behind false optimism and half-hearted determination, but when it came down to it all they were still teenagers. Tenko has not been trained in life-threatening negotiation. In fact, she has never had to debate anybody _formally_. Her form of “debate” included her fists and the opponent’s face.

And that awful, _hideous_ feeling of the inevitable had begun creeping back, crawling up through her stomach and leaving a bitter taste in her throat. She loathed this feeling, hated it with every fiber of her being. She couldn’t wait for it to be all over. She could not _wait_ for the day this awful, lingering feeling of paranoia to disappear forever. 

She is starting to think it will never arrive.

“Is it that ribbon?? On your costume hat?” Tenko asks as soon as they peek into Himiko’s Ultimate Research Lab.

“No!” The mage replies. The duo discuss and document the infamous Underwater Escape Trick, but do not find anything else of importance.

It really did feel so surreal. So impossible. The killing game had been so theatrical, so unrealistic and spectacular, that such a mundane ending like a simple _negotiation_ felt numbing. Insufficient. Tenko had always dreamed of the day her and her classmates escaped the Academy for Gifted Juveniles, had envisioned bold lighting and large explosions; an ending truly fit for the destruction of such a cruel, pitiless killing game. Not some stupid _negotiation_ . It was starting to make her _angry_ . Why did it have to be something including intelligence?? If it was a fight, then she’d _gladly_ beat them all up with her bare hands. Why a negotiation? Why a _compromise?_

Why did they have to settle on a win-win situation? Why couldn’t her classmates just _win?_ They deserve to win. They shouldn’t have to sacrifice something, or _someone_ , from their own team just to reach an agreement with their captors. 

The duo reach Kaede’s Ultimate Research Lab. It’s nostalgic, in a way, even thought Tenko had probably only stepped in it once. The various music sheets, originally scattered and thrown carelessly across the floor, were now stacked politely into neat piles. The room smelt of old books, of new leather and slight lavender. The flower that Tenko had seen in Kaede’s eyes. A lovely, almost sorrowful lavender color.

“Is… it the chalkboard?” Tenko asks.

Himiko was too busy searching, eyes caught on the music sheet position on the grand piano’s stand. Written in bold lettering, the title, ‘ _Claire de Lune’_. Somebody had been playing it.

“...Um, no,” She says finally, distracted by the music, “...I used to play a little piano.”

“Really? That’s so amazing, Himiko!” Tenko replies, her voice low out of respect. She felt that being too loud in her deceased friend’s Research Lab was rather rude, “Can you read music?”

“Barely,” Himiko shrugs, “...It just seems… _wrong_ now, y’know? In fact, _everything_ kinda does. This whole situation feels….” She pauses, mouth hanging open, but ultimately can’t find any more words, “...I don’t know. Sorry.”

“No, that’s okay, I understand. Sometimes emotions are difficult to label!! Trust me, I know all about that!!” Tenko responds, happily in an almost depressing way, “We don’t have to talk about it. I’m just gonna check over the files.”

The pair leave without another word.

Tenko has written her final goodbyes to Himiko in the back of her head, and she despised it. Her tearful yet glorious conclusion if she were to be sacrificed, which seemed increasingly more and more likely, was blaring and hissing in her own skull. God, this whole thing was awful. It was cruel, horrible, hideous and foul. She should be excited! They’re getting the chance to fight for their freedom!

She... she should be happy!

“Is it the grass?” Tenko asks as they reach the courtyard.

“It is not,” Himiko replies, giving up, “It’s your bow! The one with the flowers on it?”

Tenko reaches behind her, patting the windmill-esque bow tacked onto the back of her head sheepishly. Of course it was something attached to her. If it was in a room, they would have passed it by now.

“Okay, my turn!!” The Aikido Master chirps with false passion, hopelessly attempting to revert the subject again before being dragged down the slippery slope of the despairful future, “I spy with my little…”

“I want to ask something,” Himiko interrupts suddenly. They pause in the middle of the courtyard, planting their feet to the floor, “Sorry, I just think it’s why… What is _this_?”

The mage pulls the letter out of her back pocket. ‘ _To Himiko, From Tenko’_ . It’s unharmed, pristine and neat, the floral tape still over it. The redhead has not read it. And thank _god,_ because if it really _was_ a love letter the Aikido Master would have spontaneously combusted on the spot.

Disproving Tenko’s immediate fear, Himiko quickly says, “I didn’t read it, I promise! I was just-- I remember finding it in the mastermind’s lair. Do you remember this?”

“Not what’s _in_ it,” The Aikido Master says truthfully, accepting the note from Himiko’s loose grasp. 

The last time she had seen it, Kaito had handed it to her. She must have… accidentally left it on the ground when she had sat up. _Come on, Tenko!! Don’t be an idiot!! You should have remembered that!!_

The girls take a seat on the ground, ignoring the bench and opting for the cool grass. Tenko holds the letter in her sweaty palms, inspects it once over and then twice more. Himiko sits patiently, patting her lap in an unconscious rhythm, peeking over to see what the brunette could possibly have found. Tenko carefully breaks open the tape, lifting up the flap.

 **_OPEN ONLY AFTER FIFTH TRIAL_ **, it reads in her perfect handwriting. She can’t remember writing it.

“After fifth trial?” The Aikido Master voices out loud. She counts internally, using her fingers to list every previous trial, “We’ve only had four.”

“Open it now!” Himiko exclaims, “Before Kokichi and Shuichi walk out.”

Tenko glances upwards at the Ultimate Robot’s Research Lab nearby. The remaining members of the Clown Crusade were still in there, up to trouble undoubtedly. It would only be a few minutes before they finish investigating whatever was in that room and begin their walk outside. This letter was their own little secret, like some girly gossip at a sleepover. The only other person seemingly aware of this letter was Kaito, but he (allegedly) had not read it.

The Aikido Master opens the envelope, shaking its contents onto the floor. She immediately grabs for the letter, nervous about its contents, and allows Himiko to grab the three photographs that had fluttered to the grass. 

The first photograph was a hazy yet effective group photo. Judging by the date printed in the bottom right corner, it had been snapped one year before the killing game. In it, a group of well-dressed yet cocky business people of varying sizes, gender, and ages. Near the center of it all was one of the only recognizable people in the image, Tsumugi, her eyes bright and smile wide. Isobe stands next to her, one hand around her shoulder, face slightly less disoriented and tired than what her classmates had seen. The Ultimate Cosplayer had been circled in bright red highlighter, the word ‘ _Me’_ written underneath in bold.

The second photo was of Rantaro. He was reaching out for the camera, surprised at the sudden flash, a tablet nested in his hands. Tenko always thought he was suspicious. From the moment she had met him, the Aikido Master was on high alert. Seeing him in the photograph now made her feel uneasy.

The third photograph was infinitely more worrying. It was a candid image of Tenko and Himiko. They sat in a row of chairs, one empty chair separating them. The Aikido Master in the image still had her long hair, greasy and unkempt, falling over her face and practically hiding her left eye. The Photo Himiko barely looked any better, her dull hair equally greasy but pulled back. They were both wearing school uniforms from different academies, ones that Tenko have never seen or been to before. The girls in the photo were patiently sitting, Photo Himiko with her chin in her hand and Photo Tenko with her spine stiff and her hands clawed over her knees. It looked like they were in a doctor’s office. Or like they were… in a casting room.

Tenko can not remember taking that photo. Neither could Himiko. 

The Aikido Master unfolds the letter. It is no longer in her handwriting. The sentences are hurried, rushed and clearly in panic, written sloppily.

“What does it say?” Himiko asks, pushing herself against Tenko to look at it, “Is it a _looooove_ letter?”

“U-Uegh!! _Himiko_ ,” Tenko starts reading quickly, throwing her face into the letter so the mage couldn’t see her furiously red cheeks, “At this point, you have presumably been barricaded into the hidden room. This means the game has already been restarted.”

“Restarted?” Himiko echoes, suddenly much more serious.

Tenko adjusts the letter so the two of them were able to view it.

**Himiko,**

**At this point, you have presumably been barricaded into the hidden room after the events of the Chapter Five Trial. This means the game has already been restarted, with another character as the mastermind. I am assuming the remaining cast consists of the following: Shuichi Saihara, Maki Harukawa, yourself, and K1-B0. If the final cast member is not the person I have circled in the attached photograph, that means Plan B has been initiated.**

At this point, the letter began getting increasingly illegible, so hastily written and harsh.

**The season finale has always invovled a badending, but if I am nott there during chapter six i tmeans it will be rigged. Kaede is**

“I can’t read it. It’s-- That’s gotta be another language,” Tenko shakes her head. Himiko squints from next to her.

The letter wasn’t signed. The front of the envelope had said it was from Tenko herself, but this most certainly was not the Aikido Master’s handwriting. It was somebody using her name to grab Himiko’s attention.

A tiny map is scribbled in the corner. It’s definitely not a location within the academy, or at least not a floor they can recognize. Himiko holds the three photos up towards the sun to check if anything else might appear in the light. Tenko rereads the passage a few times over, muttering words just to hear them out loud, as if it would make more sense.

 _Restarted?_ Was that something they could do? _Restart the killing game?_

Why wasn’t Tsumugi listed as one of the remaining cast members? Why wasn’t Kaito? Or Kokichi? Or _Tenko?_

And… Kaede? What about Kaede? _What about her?_

“Nyeh… this photo freaks me out,” Himiko says, wrapping an arm around the Aikido Master as she presents the candid photo of the pair with the sun backing it. They couldn’t stare at it for long without shivering, “But I _have_ been wondering something, and this…”

She drifts off before finishing.

Who do they go to about this?? _Tsumugi??_ She was tied to a chair. And very angry. It would be like trying to talk to a rabid raccoon. 

Tenko has this feeling that they shouldn’t have opened the envelope. It felt way too early, like this message was for somebody in the future. Somebody who knew more, somebody who was wiser. Not these two. Not _now._

Tenko voices this to her friend, “Maybe we should have left this closed.”

“...Nyeh. Maybe,” Himiko replies, tapping her chin, “Here, I have an idea. Let’s pack it back up and read it again after the final trial.”

_If there is an after._

“Yes, good idea, Himiko!! We should know everything then!!”

“Very true, my friend. Very true. In one day approximately, we will know all the answers,” The mage quips light-heartedly, packing the photos back into the envelope. Before resealing it with the disheveled floral tape, Himiko grabs the picture of Amami and gestures with it before pushing it into her back pocket, “We’ll show them this, though. Just so we aren’t completely useless…”

“I do not think you are useless, Himiko!” Tenko says as if it was any consolation, taking the letter for her own and hiding it within her skirt. The Ultimate Mage hums softly in reply. The pair completely disregard the envelope, pushing it away until later.

 _Eeuggh_ , Tenko hated shoving things away. It piled in her stomach and weighed her down until it all came spilling over. She couldn’t wait for this to be over. She could not _wait_ to just sleep, to snuggle with Himiko and not have to worry about whatever stupid motive Monokuma had next or whether one of their classmates was planning a murder.

“Hey,” Himiko remarks softly, averting Tenko’s attention towards her. It’s clear that the Aikido Master had been making a face, clearly showing her confusion and fear, “It will all work out, okay? I promise. Here, I’ll start another game. I spy with my little eye...”

Tenko exhales loudly, allowing herself to feel safe in the mage’s presence. They don’t have to know all the answers right now.

-=+=-

The pair walk casually back through the halls. They had decided that joining Kaito and Maki in the library would be the next best thing to do, considering how neither of them were too keen on dealing with Kokichi’s antics or Tsumugi’s taunts.

“I never liked the library,” Himiko admits on their walk there, nose scrunched in disdain, “It gives me the creeps…”

“Yes, me too!!” Tenko agrees, “It makes the hairs on the back of my neck all tingly!!”

Himiko giggles softly, a slight smirk curling her lips upwards. The library was uncharted territory after the first trial. The only people that had returned to the vast room, that Tenko could recall, was Korekiyo and Shuichi; Korekiyo loitering occasionally to observe the wide array of books while Shuichi stood in the middle of the room, solemnly, boring into the spot where Rantaro had laid. Actually, while on that note, those two were not the only ones to step foot in the library after the first trial. Kaito had also stepped into the library again, but that was only to drag Shuichi away from the stain Amami’s blood had left on the floor.

Even looking at the door freaked Tenko out. Kaede had been so determined then, so desperately hopeful as they approached the library. She really _had_ thought she had ended the killing game. And to think that same game stole _six_ more lives after they had promised her it wouldn’t continue…

Maki emerges from the library, monofile in hand, “Oh. Hello, Tenko. Himiko.”

“Hey, guys!” Kaito bellows almost at the exact same time as the assassin, emerging from behind her, “Find anything?”

“This,” Himiko replies immediately, fishing the picture of Rantaro out of her jacket pocket and handing it over to Maki, “In-- Um--”

“Computer room,” Tenko answers.

“--The computer room,” Himiko nods, only the slightest bit of annoyance at Tenko speaking for her visible, “In the machine.”

“...Interesting,” Maki says, eyes firmly locking on the photograph before she hands it back to the mage, “We’ve located a hidden door.”

“Aw, what?? That’s _way_ more interesting!!” The redhead sighs, disappointed at her flimsy photograph.

The astronaut speaks up before Tenko is able to cheer her up, giving a chipper, “Nah, that’s just as important! Great job, Himiko!” Before high-fiving the mage so enthusiastically that it practically knocks her off her feet.

“And besides, it only led to the hidden room. We had K1-B0 open it from the other side,” Maki interrupts, giving Kaito a blunt side-eye as he grabs Himiko to stop her from falling over. Tenko also reaches to assist, then smacks the astronaut childishly in the shoulder, “We did some more investigating there. It should be on the monofile.”

Tenko flicks over the evidence. So much of it was from the previous trial that she had to meticulously search for anything new, some of the latest findings including some form of textbook labeled “The Complete History of Hope’s Peak Academy”, the newly found hidden passage behind the library wall, and a tablet labeled ‘Survivor Perk’. Apparently, somebody had rummaged through a _trash can_ , because a shot put ball found in the garbage was definitely also in there.

“How is Tsumugi and K1-B0?” Tenko questions as Himiko documents Rantaro’s photo on her own monofile.

Maki and Kaito share a quick glance, before the astronaut replies with, “They’re fine. K1-B0’s just being a little weird, that’s all! They’re gettin’ too worried.”

“Nyeh… They _have_ been acting a little weird…” Himiko agrees, eyes narrowed in ambivalence, “All _distracted_ …”

Tenko wouldn’t call it distracted _._ She _knew_ distracted, lived it everyday. K1-B0 was focused on something else entirely, so absorbed in another world that they were completely oblivious to what was happening around them. K1-B0 wasn’t distracted, in fact they were _listening_. Listening to something else that did not exist to their classmates.

Now that she thought about it, maybe it was that “inner voice” that they kept mentioning. The class really should have paid a little more attention to that, because the more Tenko thought about it the more concerning it was becoming. 

Footsteps patter down the opposite end of the corridor.

“Oh no… It’s _him…_ ” Himiko shudders dramatically, clutching Tenko’s arm. 

Kokichi and Shuichi emerge from around the corner, the Ultimate Supreme Leader skipping ahead while the detective shuffles after him. Shuichi was clutching a textbook in his hands, while Kokichi…

“Yo, Karate Kid!” He begins, “Check this out!”

From behind his back, he whips out yet another flashback light, pointing it directly at the four.

Everyone instinctively reacts. Kaito yips rather girlishly and Maki blinks while clenching her hands, but otherwise they don’t make much fuss. Himiko and Tenko, however, frightened beyond words of their memories being flashed away once more, recoil rather strikingly. As soon as they discover that the flashback light had not in fact been activated, the Aikido Master’s face flushes in complete anger, morphing into a bitter look of hatred as she approaches the purple boy. Shuichi has to step in front of him and Maki has to hold her back.

“Shuichi, I demand you move immediately!!” Tenko huffs, arm being yanked backwards by the assassin, “Because I am going to _crush this little degenerate’s head like a soda can!!”_

“ _Waaaaah!_ Pwease don’t hurt me!!” Kokichi taunts from behind the detective’s back.

“Tenko, I am so sorry--” Shuichi begins as if he was the one who needed to apologize, “But-- Um-- W-We found another flashback light!”

“We can _see_ that!” Himiko exhales loudly, right hand over her chest as she steadies her heartbeat.

The Ultimate Detective grimaces in regret, snatching the flashback light from Kokichi as the purple boy cries even more crocodile tears, “It hasn’t been used yet. I wanted a majority vote before we did anything with it.”

“What, you want us to _use_ that thing?” Tenko snips, nose upturned, “No way!!”

“Y-Yeah, we can’t trust it!” Himiko agrees, taking two bold steps forward, “Somebody could have… I don’t know… _planted_ it, or something!”

“It looks different from the flashback light Tenko had…” Maki pipes up, observing the light attentively, “Where did you find this?”

“Another girl’s bathroom,” Shuichi answers jokingly, but after realizing how seriously the Aikido Master had taken it quickly follows up with, “Kokichi’s lab.”

“Oh, you found his lab?” Kaito questions, “What’s in it?”

Shuichi raises the textbook and answers with, “Just this and the flashback light,” in unison with Kokichi yelling, “Guns!!”

“May I?” Maki requests, reaching for the textbook and flipping through it. Tenko quickly glances at the cover. It’s the same textbook from the monofile, “The Complete History of Hope’s Peak Academy”. None of that title struck familiarity within her, however there was still this rebellious pang from the back of her skull that told her maybe… just _maybe_ … she’s heard of this “Hope’s Peak Academy” before.

“This light might be important…” Shuichi commented delicately, “I-I’m in no way suggesting _everyone_ has to be exposed to it, but it might be useful for at least one person to do it.”

“Then you do it. Be my guest,” Tenko waves dismissively, but quickly realizes how harsh she’s being, “B-But be careful!! You know what happened last time…”

Kaito shrugs, “You got your memories back.”

Tenko wrinkles her nose, “If you’re going to be so _careless_ about it, then _you_ do it!!”

“I absolutely will!” The astronaut accepts, marching forward, “I’ll do it right now!”

Shuichi reflexively pulls the flashback light towards his chest, “Um-- I still think we should wait a little. I’ve got one more place I’d like to investigate, but do you think we could all meet up in the dining hall? In, let’s say, thirty minutes?” The detective hands the flashback to the responsible Ultimate Assassin, before turning towards the astronaut, “Kaito-- Could you grab…?”

It seems the amethyst teenager knew exactly what he was talking about, because he gives a rather serious nod before turning back into the library. With one last half-hearted wave, Kaito Momota is gone. Tenko cranes her neck to see where he ran off to, and it seems he was heading straight forwards towards the now-open hidden passageway behind the bookshelf. The astronaut was grabbing something from the mastermind’s lair.

“What’s he grabbing…?” Himiko voices for the rest of them.

Shuichi and Kokichi share an unreadable glance before the detective answers, “Some notes. I think it’ll be best if we explain to everyone what was… _supposed_ to happen during the killing game. That way it’s easier to find what went wrong.”

The two least expressive people in the room, Kokichi and Maki, seemed to be the most opposed. Tenko could just _barely_ tell by the way Maki’s lips quivered downwards and how Kokichi’s fists clenched just _that much_ tighter at his sides. The Aikido Master had no idea why they would be so defensive about it, but at the same time was quite apprehensive herself. On one hand, she most certainly wanted to learn what was supposed to happen, but on the other hand she was praying that her survival did not cause any unplanned deaths. If she learned that Miu or Gonta had been killed only because she did not die during that seance, she truly does not know how she would be able to handle it.

“Thirty minutes, then,” Tenko nods.

“Fantastic! While you do that, Shumai, I think I will search everybody’s dorms!” Kokichi proposes, then turns towards the others with a sprightly grabbing gesture, “Your keys, hand ‘em over.”

Nobody concedes their dormitory keys.

“If you need to grab your notes from your dorm, you can just say so,” Shuichi says almost casually, “No need to be theatrical.”

Tenko finds it strange how the detective has become so close to the supreme leader that he was able to decode his antics this quickly.

Kokichi pouts, “Boo. You’re no fun.”

Shuichi raises his shoulders in defense, “You didn’t bring all of them into the hidden room. I just figured.”

“I think I might take a look at that Road of Despair tunnel again,” Maki says, “Since we’re visiting old rooms again. Tenko, come with.”

It was barely a choice. Tenko quickly stutters, “Y-Yeah, sure!”

Shuichi simpers dorkily, “Awesome. Himiko-- I’m gonna wait for Kaito and then explore some more. Do you wanna come with or do you have another place in mind?”

“You could always come with me, my beloved!” Kokichi carols, extending his arms outwards towards the disgusted mage.

“No… I’ll go with Shuichi, thanks…” Himiko grits through her teeth. She turns towards the Aikido Master, squeezes her hand, then wishes her a supportive, “Good luck, stay safe!”

“You too!!” Tenko wishes back, sticking a hateful tongue out as Kokichi begins humming to the tune of ‘ _tenko and himiko sitting in a tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-g’._

Maki nods in a ‘ _and so we meet again’_ type way, receiving a half-confident smile back from the Aikido Master. The group begins to split up, with Kokichi already half-way down the hall once Tenko turns back around. Kaito reemerges from the library, and quickly gets a recap from Himiko and Shuichi.

“Thirty minutes, and then everybody meets in the dining hall!” Tenko yells backwards at the astronaut, way too enthusiastically and loudly considering they were only a few metres away from the group.

“What was that?” Shuichi replies with just as much fervor, the smile on his lips deceiving him and telling the Aikido Master it was only a joke.

“You need to speak up!!” Kaito booms at the same time Himiko chides, “YOU ARE BEING TOO QUIET!”, her hands cupped around her mouth.

“Do not mock me!!” Tenko chuckles teasingly back. 

The duo disappear down the hallway. Thirty minutes until the entire killing game is elucidated in excruciating detail. Maki does not look back. There’s a faint hint of regret seeping into her features, of underlying guilt. Guilt over something Tenko was unaware of. Regret that most likely came from Kaito’s translations, regret derived from what was _supposed_ to happen during the killing game. 

Thirty minutes. 

The letter rustles in Tenko’s back pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive begun writing a few pre-game flashback scenes, but i want to ask you guys: what do you think tenko and himiko were like pre-game?
> 
> hope you all have an amazing day!! :D


	32. sealed within an iron cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a peaceful meeting followed by a lovely encounter

Thirty minutes pass.

The tunnel had been pretty unhelpful. Maki and Tenko hadn’t gone too far down; with only two people to conquer the horrors of the trip it just seemed impossible. In addition to that, not much seemed to have changed. It didn’t seem useful to reinvestigate. 

As much as Tenko voiced this, however, Maki seemed to disagree with just as much vehemence. The Ultimate Assassin was most certainly stalling, tense and rigidly nervous about the upcoming class meeting. It wasn’t until Tenko herself started her uphill climb out of the tunnel that Maki apprehensively began following behind. The Aikido Master was seriously puzzled as to why the assassin was so adamant on her disapproval. If everything Tenko had previously learned told her anything, Maki was supposed to _survive_ this killing game. She doesn’t kill, and she doesn’t _get_ killed. So what was she so afraid of?

The duo reached the dining hall exactly thirty minutes after the time limit was placed. The only other person present was Kokichi, who, upon noticing the pair returning, slammed his brightly-colored notebook closed, “Anything useful?”

“No,” Both girls reply in unison. Maki further inquires with a monotone, “What did you find?”

“Nothing much,” The supreme leader shrugs, “Just had a lovely conversation with Monosuke, ‘tis all! And by conversation, I mean he wouldn’t talk to me,” Kokichi pouts, lower lip wobbling, “Too busy putting clothes away. So rude….”

Okay, Tenko _definitely_ remembers Monosuke dying. At least Monophanie held the benefit of the doubt, considering the Aikido Master had not seen the robot perish, but she could recall clearly the exact moment Monosuke was destroyed. When he had been shoved out by that other teddy bear, Monodam, to catch the fall of the tortured and agonized Kirumi. Needless to say, the descent was too high for the yellow bear to save the maid. Tenko grows nauseous just thinking about the sickening _crunch_ sound as Kirumi, the same teenager who the Aikido Master had grown so close to and vowed to protect, slammed against the cold floor.

Were the Monokubs just… hanging around? They didn’t seem to be that talkative, which was pretty surprising. Were they revived just to do common household chores? Monophanie was holding clothes, and if Tenko was going to take what Kokichi said as the truth, Monosuke was as well. And it must belong to the class, because none of the Monokubs wear clothes… Actually, hang on. Does that mean they’re _naked?_ Have these _degenerate_ robots been parading around in the _nude!?!?_

The doors fiercely open once more with Kaito, Himiko, and Shuichi emerging. Shuichi offers a quiet, “Hello”, but is very quickly overthrown by Kaito and Himiko running to their close confidants to tell them what they found. The detective closes the door behind him, and motions for the classmates to take a chair. Tenko and Himiko somehow manage to locate seats of their own despite neither of them breaking from their conversation.

“Alright, let’s get to business,” Shuichi starts rather unenthusiastically from where he stands, obtaining the folders of notes from Kaito. There was no easy way to begin this, “...Do you all… need a reminder of the first two trials…?”

Immediately the room sombers. The Ultimates silence practically in unison, turning towards the detective with grave and uneasy looks. 

“...What about K1-B0?” Tenko asks softly upon noticing their absence, “Are we just gonna… tell them later-”

Almost immediately, Maki stands up from her chair, “I’ll swap shifts with them.”

“Oh, Maki-- We can just explain to them after. It’s no big deal,” Shuichi tries to reason, however the assassin has already made up her mind. She begins gliding over to the doorway, avoiding the concerned gazes of her peers.

“I’ve already read your translations. I know what was supposed to happen,” It’s clear she didn’t _want_ to know, as visible in her hardened facial features, “I’ll get them in here. Just start without me.”

Kaito pushes himself upwards from the table. After smothering a chesty cough, he quickly says, “Maki, you don’t have to--”

“ _I don’t want to hear it._ ”

The assassin spits the phrase with so much intensity that it brings the dining hall back to a tense silence. Maki and Kaito stare at each other, red meeting purple, with no movement or sound. There’s clearly a discussion happening, one without speech. It felt like the remainder of the class was interrupting. 

“I don’t want to hear it,” Maki repeats, much quieter, her head shaking back and forth rhythmically, “I-- ...I’m going to get K1-B0.”

And like that she’s gone, the door shut tightly behind her.

Kaito releases a heavy sigh from his nose, swaying back into his chair. Maki’s apprehensiveness from earlier seemed to have spilled over now with a sudden, unpredictable jolt of emotion. The assassin had gone from 0 to 100 so quickly, that it left Tenko wondering just how long she was on 99.

“...Okay,” Shuichi acknowledges, blinking towards a new subject, “Um… We’ll start with… Angie, I guess. Since this is where it… went wrong.”

It started without much diversion from what they already knew. The mood was heavy, thickly gloomy as Shuichi explained with relative detail the events that had already transpired. Angie’s death was always meant to happen, in the exact manner it had played out. In some sick, cruel way, Tenko felt almost _relieved_ . At _least_ her survival wasn’t the influence of the Ultimate Artist’s death. It was hideous that she felt that way, felt the tiniest amount of comfort out of knowing this was always preplanned. The guilt over this comfort coiled her stomach into knots.

The conversation slowly creeped into the seance. Towards Korekiyo and the Caged Child and sickles and seesaws. Tenko wasn’t sure what she was expecting to hear. She _was_ supposed to die, afterall, so of course Shuichi would have to cover it. 

“...You weren’t supposed to look up,” The detective explained, glancing over towards the other occupants and avoiding Tenko’s gaze like the plague, “The object of the seance, and the seesaw trick, was to propel you into the sickle. You-- You should’ve…. Y’know…”

Died. Why won’t he just say that?

“Wow…” Kaito whistles, nodding in astonishment, “Lucky.”

Tenko sours, lips curling downwards, “...Sure.”

Himiko reaches over to grab her hand.

“Hmm. Death Sickle. Like Terraria!” Kokichi immediately catches what he said and begins pouting again, “Aw, man… I’m turning into _Tsumugi_...”

The Aikido Master shoots him a backhanded glare, her exhale shaky, “Let’s just move on.”

She doesn’t want to hear the details. She doesn’t want to acknowledge how dark Shuichi’s eyes appeared as he looked through the notes, at the specifics of her death. Sure, she had questions. _What were her final words? Was it quick? Did she suffer?_ But she knew she wouldn’t be able to choke them down. Besides, even if Shuichi wanted to explain further, Kokichi snatches the paper from his hands and then immediately gets it snatched from _his_ hands by Himiko, who wished to respect Tenko’s silent wishes. She folds the document and places it back on the table.

It was always Korekiyo who killed Angie. That part also remained true. However, the trial was cut incredibly short considering how one of the victims was _alive_ and investigating with them. The fight scene, Tenko’s final blazing goodbye to the Ultimate Anthropologist, was definitely not scheduled. Shuichi elaborated, disdain clearly in his features, about how he was supposed to monologue for a solid twenty minutes about his sister but was unfortunately cut short by Tenko’s fist.

Kaito gives a sardonic, yet oddly proud slow clap for the Aikido Master, before admitting, “I always think about that kid. What a fucked up childhood. I mean-- His _sister?_ ”

It seems even Kokichi thought so, because the supreme leader had no buoyant quips to reply with. Himiko scrunched her nose in contempt, however it seemed much more directed at Korekiyo’s sister than it was at the anthropologist himself. Don’t get her wrong, neither Himiko or Tenko could ever forgive the teenager for what he tried to do, for what he had _achieved_. But dear god. His upbringing could not have been smooth sailing.

Most of the events after the trial seemed relatively untouched, considering that Tenko and Himiko’s general antics didn’t interfere much with the real “plot”. The Aikido Master’s short hair had no influence over the next unfortunate demise.

“The Virtual World was definitely supposed to happen,” Shuichi reads, face as blank as he could possibly muster, “... Miu’s death was also supposed to happen. The details of her death match up.”

“How did they know Kokichi was going to plan to use Gonta for murder?” Himiko remarks, subtly jabbing at the smiling supreme leader, “I don’t see how they could know that…”

“Oh, I told them!” Kokichi strikes back, his grin turning quite passive-aggressive, “Met them for lunch and discussed how that skank was planning on murdering me. They personally gave me permission!”

“Alright, enough,” Kaito intercedes, pausing the line of dialogue before it went further. 

So Miu was always supposed to die. Was there any way to interfere with that? Was there any way to change that? Even if Tenko had lived, it seems that her survival had not snowballed into the intervention of the murder of the Ultimate Inventor. And _that_ sucked as much as knowing her survival didn’t influence if she was supposed to die. It seems that either way, Tenko had contributed to her death, whether it be through lack of intervention or too _much_ intervention. The guilt just would not give the brunette a break.

The group turn back towards the detective, awaiting the next segment of the pre-planned story. They all remember what had happened, remember Gonta’s corpse resting peacefully on his chair, half of the scissors slashed mercilessly into the side of his neck. At least Shuichi was being somewhat respectful, keeping the details minimum. Surely he would just acknowledge that Gonta was killed before-

“After her death, we move on to the trial,” The detective says unexpectedly.

Tenko can hear her heartbeat in her ears. _Oh._ So Gonta… _wasn’t_ supposed to be killed. It was this trial she was probably most worried about, because _surely_ something had gone wrong. Shuichi said it himself: the trial was rigged just to incriminate Tenko as the blackened. There wasn’t supposed to be a double murder. 

“U-Um… Gonta?” Himiko tries to clarify. Tenko is pale next to her, her nails clawing into her knees.

Shuichi flips forward a page, cutting the trial short, “He still… murdered Miu. He still would have been executed…”

So Gonta was always _supposed_ to die… it was just a matter of when. Is that how the killing game worked? If they needed to rig something, they would just speed up the death order? The thought was terrifying in itself. The time and place did not matter to the captors, only the order. 

“How?” Tenko asks steelily. At Shuichi’s raised eyebrow, she repeats, “H-How did he die?”

The detective sucks in a sharp breath, “Um-- Stabbed repeatedly. Or… burned. I’m not sure which one would have… killed him first.”

And Tenko wasn’t sure which one _was_ worse. Was death by poisoning better? Or being stabbed through the throat with scissors? Was his pre-planned death more merciful? There was no possible way to tell. And Tenko despised thinking about death this long. 

“After the trial, there were only supposed to be seven of us,” Shuichi was trying to power through this as quickly as he possibly could, clearly disturbed himself, “We found more Research Lab… eventually we were supposed to reach the end of the ‘Road of Despair’...”

“Maki and I were just there,” Tenko remarks, voice weak, “...It’s still impossible.”

“We used something called _Electrohammers_ ,” Shuichi answers uncertainly, before turning towards the supreme leader, “Know what those are, Kokichi?”

The purple boy kicks his feet onto the table. Tenko could not pin any specific emotion from the teenager. One moment he seemed spiteful and angry, and the next he seemed blithe and untroubled, “Got ‘em from Miu! Turns out she was useful, afterall!”

“Can’t you be a _little_ respectful?” Tenko spits hatefully, arms hugged tightly around her. Kokichi shrugs playfully. ‘ _No_ ’, that means.

“Something was at the _end_ of that road, right?” Kaito asks the detective, leaning forward to collect the papers Shuichi had dropped on the table. He very dutifully ignores Tenko and Kokichi snarling at each other behind him.

Shuichi spares one last expecting look at the Ultimate Supreme Leader before answering with, “Right. The **secret of the outside world**. Kokichi?”

The room silences. Tenko folds her hands over her lap, face scrunching at the boy, as if telling him ‘ _We’re waiting’._

It’s not until two seconds later that she recalls just what exactly Shuichi was asking from him. The secret of the outside world. It had been discussed only very briefly during the last trial. Kokichi had told them that Gonta murdered Miu because he was so appalled by this secret, so horrified that he had to kill just so the class wouldn’t be exposed to it. Tenko hadn’t thought about it that much, had dismissed it as some delusional spiel by the Ultimate Liar himself. She was way too occupied with her own problems to deal with this so-called “secret”.

“We’re the last sixteen people alive! We’re in space!” Kokichi says theatrically, his smile and eyes both wide, “The world is doomed, and they’ve decided to save a group of Ultimates! One of which includes an _actual_ _assassin_.”

The class either sighs or rolls their eyes, all tired of his callous lies.

“Let’s just move on,” Shuichi exhales in disappointment. 

“That’s not fair. We deserve to know!” Himiko objects, before singing a childish, “Secrets secrets are no fun, secrets secrets hurt someone! _”_

“Aww, don’t be such a sourpuss, Himiko! Have I ever told you lies?” Kokichi hums, to which the mage frowns at.

Maybe Tenko should have put just the slightest bit more faith in the supreme leader, because she immediately dismisses his rambling as false. There was no way they were the only sixteen people left. There was too much evidence against that. There’s no way they could be in space, the windows out in the courtyard very clearly showed blue, _earth_ skies. Isobe, and whoever that snarky intern was behind him, were very much _alive_. So was this ‘Director’. It wasn’t true.

“We were supposed to be really caught up on that,” Shuichi continues, silencing the room again, “.... _really_ depressed about it. But then we use another flashback light and things seem to go back to normal.”

How depressed could they have been? What was so baffling about this secret that it sends the entire class into despair?

“Like _that_ flashback light?” Tenko asks, pointing at the light sitting on the table. The same light Kokichi had mockingly flashed at the Aikido Master thirty minutes ago. Nobody has an answer, the entire class responding with confused and unsure grunts.

“Lemme see that,” Kokichi gestures, grabbing the translation out of Shuichi’s hands before the detective was even able to hand it over. The Aikido Master was starting to get worried about how easily Shuichi would hand over the documents, because Kokichi seems to be choosing very specific ones. So far he’s reached for papers explaining how his classmates reacted to the “secret of the outside world”, and the paper elucidating the gruesome details of Tenko’s death. Luckily Himiko was able to grab the latter, but he most certainly read it before the mage managed to snatch it.

“Anyways, Kaito gets… kidnapped? Is that the word?” Shuichi looks up towards the astronaut, who shrugs, “Which means he was separated from the group. I think Kokichi had him in the Exisal hanger.”

Tenko blinks in disbelief but doesn’t say anything. _Kaito_ got kidnapped by _Kokichi!?_ It seemed wild in theory, absolutely bonkers. Sure, the astronaut was sick, but Kokichi was probably _half_ his size. Instinctively, Tenko finds herself scooting closer to Himiko and further away from the Supreme Leader, even though he was rather far from the pair. He still has yet to wipe that stupid grin off his face.

“Okay, this is the… This is the final murder,” Shuichi starts. Tenko notices how both Kaito and Kokichi have shifted, “And it’s a little complicated. I-- The whole point was to make the trial so confusing that not even Monokuma was able to decipher it. And to do that, they obscured who the victim was,” The detective inhales, holds it uncomfortably for a few seconds, and then releases it, “Kokichi was the victim in this case, and Kaito was the blackened. His execution was something space related, but apparently it went wrong…”

“How did it go wrong?” Kaito asks quickly, attempting to bypass the conversation.

Both Himiko and Tenko refuse to let that happen, however, with the Aikido Master interrupting with, “Woah, _woah._ You _killed_ Kokichi!?”

“No?? He’s right there??” Kaito replies with just as much punch, gesturing wildly over towards the smug supreme leader.

“Shuichi, elaborate on that!!” Noticing the rudeness, she quickly follows with, “Please!!”

“It wasn’t _Kaito’s_ idea,” Shuichi points over at Kokichi, who seemed much stiffer than usual, “It was his. I guess Maki had the idea to attempt to save Kaito… by _any means necessary_ …. And I think something went haywire and she was supposed to end up shooting a poisonous arrow into both of them. Kokichi makes Kaito drink the antidote, tells him about the plan, gives Kaito the script… and the trial goes on from there.”

“Why would you do that!?” Tenko interrogates the astronaut.

Kaito throws his hands in the air, “I don’t know!! It didn’t happen, I _don’t know!!”_

“If he didn’t, _Maki_ would have been the blackened,” Shuichi explains quietly, quickly placing the paper on the table. It is snatched almost instantly by Kokichi.

Wow. _Wow._ Tenko needed a minute of silence just to completely process it all. That must have been exactly why Maki was so adamant on not listening to this read through; she _knew_ she was supposed to shoot both Kaito and Kokichi. Her poisonous blow led to the death of her closest confidant in the academy, even if indirectly. That feeling, that _guilt_ , must be hideous. Even if it didn’t end up happening, just knowing you had the potential of indirectly sending your best friend off to his untimely execution must be loathsome. 

“Oh. _I_ get it,” Himiko slowly nods, voice heavy, “Kokichi got _another_ person to do his dirty work. _Again._ ”

“Ouch! You wound me,” The supreme leader replies, “Let’s just be glad it didn’t _actually_ happen, yeah? I wouldn’t want my dear friend Kaito getting hurt!”

“Who’s saying you weren’t planning on it?” 

Kokichi silences, his lips thinning, “Pardon moi?”

“You said there was a script, right?” Himiko turns around towards Tenko, checking to see if she had her support before turning back around towards the rest of the class, “You couldn’t have written that script overnight!”

“What are you implying? That I was devising my own murder from the very beginning?” Kokichi gasps, his hand mockingly over his heart.

“Well, prove it! If I walked into your dorm right now, would I find that script, or not?”

His stillness says everything. How horrifying it was. This teenager has been planning his own death behind _everybody’s_ backs, a death that brought down another classmate with him. Tenko’s mouth keeps opening and closing, unable to form sentences, so shocked and stunned into silence. 

Kokichi wasn’t finished, however. The two smallest occupants in the dining hall were staring each other down, with the supreme leader’s eyes dark and almost expressionless, “Well, that’s not very nice of you, Himiko. I thought you hated bullies?”

“I do. But I don’t like _liars_ ,” She replies, “If we want to get out of here, we need to tell the _truth._ ”

“ _I’m_ the liar?” Kokichi dangerously asks for clarification.

“You’ve been planning this stunt since the start!” Tenko yells, frustrated herself. She can see Shuichi stuttering to halt the argument, “Were you _waiting_ for this to happen?”

“ _I’m_ the liar?” Despite Tenko speaking, the supreme leader ignores her, eyes locked with the mage, “You’re a _magician!_ You con people for a _living!_ ”

“Okay, gang,” Shuichi says awkwardly as Himiko gasps, offended, “Let’s… dial it back…-”

“I’m just saying, Kokichi, you haven’t exactly been _friendly_!” The Ultimate Mage spits back.

Kaito leans over towards the Aikido Master, harshly whispering underneath the overlaying argument, “You’re not gonna say anything?”

“She can defend herself!” She whispers back.

“I can hear you,” Himiko says, taking a deep breath to calm herself down, “And I’m just a little annoyed. That’s all.”

Kaito mumbles a sarcastic, “A _little?_ ”, but it was clearly only for himself. 

Was Kokichi planning on going through with his plan? Was the only reason he hadn’t roped Kaito into committing a murder in this timeline because of the academy’s shutdown? Knowing somebody you resided with was planning a murder was horrifying in itself. Knowing that you _worked alongside this same somebody_ was even worse.

“I don’t think that’s very fair,” Kokichi pouts overdramatically, “I didn’t even do it yet! Miu tried to kill _me_ , and Tenko just told me to be _respectful_ to her!”

“What are you even trying to argue?” Shuichi asks sternly, eyes narrowed disappointedly at Kokichi, “You’re just trying to divert the subject.”

“And th-that’s different!” The Aikido Master retorts bitterly, “Miu’s _dead!_ ”

“What a hypocrite.”

Tenko’s eyes widen, teeth gritting, “Ex _cuse_ me? Gonta killed her. _You_ killed her. She deserves a _little_ respect.”

“Because she’s dead?”

“ _Yes!”_

“Oh, so you’ll extend that courtesy to _Korekiyo?_ ”

Tenko blinks, face instantly shifting from anger, to hollow fear, and immediately back to vexation. A loud noise is emitted from her right fist slapping into her left palm in threat, “Alright, that’s it! Time to die, _grape boy!”_

“I just want to know!” Kokichi laughs. He slams his hand onto one of the papers, unravels it, and shoves it into Tenko’s face, “ _That’s_ what he tried to do. Would you be respectful of _that?_ ”

The Aikido Master has no choice, really, of whether or not she gets to read it. Even though she averts her head, her eyes still manage to catch a glimpse of the paper. It’s her death, written in gruesome and repulsive detail. It wrote about how that sickle was supposed to be stabbed through her neck, from where she was vulnerable, the blood cascading over her chin and down the front of her chest. Shuichi was supposed to _lie_ during her trial, and was supposed to tell Himiko that the Aikido Master had died quickly. It was a lie for a reason. She wasn’t _supposed_ to have died quickly. It was supposed to be _long,_ long and _painful_. Sitting there, suffering in silence, unable to scream. As soon as Tenko reads it she finds herself biting the inside of her cheeks so roughly that it draws blood.

“Alright, just let it go, already!” Kaito attempts to reason, roughly grabbing the paper and slamming it back onto the table. It was wild that _Kaito_ was now the voice of reason, “We need to get along, now! Once we get out of here, we don’t have to talk to each other.”

Tenko has conked out. Her mind has gone elsewhere, completely disconnected from the conversation. The air feels cold and icy against her skin, her clothes itchy and violating. Was she sitting down? Was she standing? She couldn’t feel her legs.

Was Kokichi right? Was that… hypocritical? Did _he_ deserve the same respect since he was no longer…

The thought is immediately struck out of her head. Of course not. Of _course_ not. He tried to _kill_ her, for Pete’s sake. It’s just this stupid stress that’s meddling with her thoughts, making everything jumbled and distorted. Talking about her near death was never going to go smoothly. It was always going to go south. She had every right, every reason to feel nothing but unbridled hatred towards that anthropologist.

_But in that case, Kokichi gets the right to be angry at his near murderer, too._

What the hell was even the point of that argument!? They were discussing _Kokichi’s plan_ , and somehow swerved around to _Tenko’s near death._ It was a brilliant distraction which had definitely worked, because Himiko was now so worried about her friend that she wasn’t arguing anymore. Kaito and Shuichi were so desperate to divert the subject from Korekiyo that the detective was speeding through the remainder of the notes.

“...The final trial where the mastermind was revealed,” Shuichi’s voice is distant, as if in another room, “This is probably the document with the least amount of information. There’s nothing planned out.”

“Coolio! Meeting over.” Kokichi chirps abruptly. 

He pushes himself up from the chair, smile strained yet wobbly, grabbing his notebook and skipping straight out the door. Nobody stops him. The room is too confused, too baffled and too horrified to even attempt halting him. Nobody wants the conversation to drag on longer than it was supposed to. Nobody wants to see Kokichi right now. Tenko doesn’t see him again that day.

“...That could have gone worse,” Shuichi sighs, “Sorry, guys.”

“Nyeh, it’s fine... At least we know what went wrong, now. I think the real question now is _how_ they were able to predict all of that...” Himiko offers in consolation. She stands up herself, dusting off her skirt and huffing, “...Maki hasn’t even found K1-B0 yet.”

“Aw, yeah. We’re gonna have to explain to Keebs,” Kaito groans, “But it was fine, Shuichi! We all needed to know that information! We’re just one step closer to defeating whoever’s in charge!”

Sure, you could say that. Tenko has to swallow gruffly, a harsh, bile taste sitting in the back of her throat. She felt sick to her stomach.

“I don’t get how you’re so optimistic. Weren’t you supposed to… die?” Himiko questions.

Kaito twitches only faintly, but quickly is overcome by his usual determination, “But I didn’t! And that’s all that matters! Right, Tenko?”

Tenko stares blankly at the table.

Kaito pauses for an answer, but soon realizes he will not be receiving one, “Awesome! Now let’s--”

_BANG!_

The door slams open. It sends Tenko flying, rushing to steady her now accelerating heartbeat. Stomping in, deep red eyes wild and angry, was the Ultimate Assassin herself. She had obviously ran here, her breathing steady but baby hairs sticking to her forehead with sweat. In her grasp, being held by the “ear”, was K1-B0 themselves. The Ultimate Robot appeared incredibly disheveled, looking frantically around the room and desperately pleading “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m _so_ sorry…” repeatedly under their breath. 

“You are _not_ going to believe this shit--” Maki begins pointedly, roughly releasing K1-B0 into the room.

“I’m so sorry, I am _so very sorry_ -” The robot rambles, now aimed at the remainder of the class, “I-I had _no idea_ what came over me, I am _so so sorry--_ ”

“K1-B0, it’s okay. You’re okay, _calm down,_ ” Shuichi tries to console, “What happened?”

“Tsumugi’s gone,” Maki nearly yells, eyes glaring daggers into the robot’s head, “K1-B0 let her go.”

Everybody in the room is now on their feet.

“I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened,” K1-B0 repeats.

“I went back to the room and he was completely freaking out,” Maki explains, “Wouldn’t let me outside again. Tsumugi was already gone at that point. Once he snapped out of it he claimed he doesn’t know what happened.”

“Oh… _god,_ ” The detective runs two anxious hands through his hair. It was just one disaster and straight to the next, “Okay-- _Game plan, everybody--_ ”

Tsumugi was gone. Where could she have gone to? Surely there wasn’t some secret door she could use to escape. This academy was huge, and has been investigated thoroughly. To the class’s knowledge, the Ultimate Cosplayer could not leave the area.

 _And she couldn’t go far, anyways,_ Tenko realizes silently, _She doesn’t have her glasses._

Before Shuichi could assign them places to search, Tenko is already out the door.

-=+=-

Where the hell was Tenko going!? Why did she run away that quickly!? 

She’s completely numb and in shock, of _course_ she’s not going to be sensible about this. Her legs were running in some random direction, almost as if her body was processing the situation faster than her brain was. 

_Just take a deep breath. Just inhale, and exhale. Calm down. Stop panicking. Focus on this mission._ **_Focus._ **

Jesus. She’s already run down a flight of stairs. She managed to briefly listen in to her surroundings at one point, and it seemed very clear her classmates were each assigning floors to check. That must be why her legs automatically ran down towards the basement. That, mixed with the knowledge that Tsumugi couldn’t possibly have run _that_ far away from the library, led Tenko directly down the stairs. Maybe she should check the hidden room again. 

Tenko comes to a jolting halt in the middle of the library. Her senses snap back to her all at once, confusing and overwhelming her. The books were excessive, the smell of bleach vile and toxic in her nostrils. They had to get rid of Rantaro’s blood somehow. Even with the soap and chemicals, his blood still managed to leave a stain.

She ducks through shelves, looking under tables and behind stacks of various books. She looks at the cameras in the corners of the library, the ones so miniscule they looked invisible upon first glance. 

They were all pointed in one direction.

Tenko slowly glides, quietly shuffling to the corner of the library, following the cameras that led her straight to the mastermind. The surveillance cameras were glaring directly at an unusually large pile of books. A person could easily duck behind them.

“Tsu?” Tenko whispers almost idiotically, checking behind her in case any of her classmates decided to appear.

There’s no answer.

The Aikido Master steps forward once more, checking the cameras repeatedly. They have not moved. Surely, the cosplayer was behind the books.

“Tsu, I know you’re there,” Tenko says.

Knowing her hiding spot had been compromised, the Ultimate Cosplayer reaches out, grabs a book, and chucks it at the Aikido Master. However, without her glasses, she missed almost completely, slightly grazing her side.

After another pathetic attempt at throwing a book, Tsumugi breaks into a sprint, attempting to run directly past Tenko. Needless to say, she was unsuccessful, and very quickly pinned to the floor, with Tenko’s knee sitting on her back.

“ _She’s in here!!_ ” The Aikido Master screams at the door, ignoring the cosplayer’s hisses. 

From down the hallway, maybe even up the stairs, Maki screams back an impolite, “ _WHAT!?”_

“She’s in---”

“Wait! Wait, Tenko, hold on-!” Tsumugi attempts to halt, clawing her hands frantically into the floor as if it would give her some kind of leverage, “Hear me out--”

 _Hear her out!?_ It was a preposterous demand, something so absurd and ridiculous that Tenko couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic chuckle. The Aikido Master had tried to be civil, had tried to be polite. Her class has given her more than enough chances. Restraining her in a chair was _mercy_ for the amount of cruel, heartless acts she has committed against innocent teenagers. And with the information she had just learned, the gruesome details of her friend’s murders and excruciatingly painful executions, her _own_ slow, agonizing death, it just seemed outlandish to show Tsumugi any form of forgiveness.

“What is it?” 

It escapes Tenko’s mouth so quickly that she was left stumbling to stop herself after it came out. Why can’t her body cooperate with her brain? She shouldn’t be talking to this girl.

Underneath her knee, she could feel Tsumugi taking a large, shaky inhale, “I’m not trying to do anything-- I’m _not_ \-- It’s just--” The rest of her sentence was rushed, wavering and stressed, “They’re trying to kill me-- _They’re trying to kill me--_ ”

_Who is? Maki? Because that makes sense. I can’t imagine what she is going to do once she finds Tsumugi._

“K1-B0 tried to-- He’s been _hijacked_ , he always has been!” Tsumugi explains breathily, the knee on her back clearly beginning to take a toll, “ _He’s working with them_ \-- He’s-!!”

“Tenko!? What’s happening!?” It’s Maki’s voice, so distant and far away that it was barely audible. 

Tsumugi looks up from the floor, eyes wide as she stares forward at the entrance, then at the cameras, and then finally up at Tenko. It’s the most human the Aikido Master has seen Tsumugi in a while, her normally hollow eyes now filled to the brim with a startling fear. Fear of the killing game of which _she_ was the mastermind.

“Let me go,” She demands, staring relentlessly into Tenko’s green irises. She’s stopped thrashing on the floor, taking this moment to make her own trembling commands, “Let me go until trial. They’ll stop then. They’re not going to kill anybody _during_ the trial--”

“Why would I do that?” Tenko asks ferociously back, “You’ve hurt _so many_ people! Do you understand how mad _everybody_ would be at me if I let you go!?”

“ _They won’t know!!_ ” Tsumugi says desperately back, her voice now strained from lack of oxygen, “Maki couldn’t hear you-- Just say you couldn’t find me. Let me go until trial, and I promise I won’t do anything-- _Please,_ Tenko--”

“What about K1-B0?” The Aikido Master asks roughly, “You said he was working with them!”

“I will explain at the trial if you _let me go!_ ”

“Tenko!?” Maki calls again. Her voice is louder now. She’s getting closer.

Why did _she_ have to find Tsumugi?? None of this would have been happening if she hadn’t impulsively ran out of the dining hall. She wouldn’t have this massive decision weighing on her shoulders. On one hand, Tsumugi was the _mastermind_ , one of their captors behind the horrid killing game, the same killing game that tried to _kill_ her. She was deceitful, had blatantly lied to all of them and betrayed everybody’s trust. She had taken not one, not two, but _eight_ lives of young teenagers in the most cruel ways possible. Keeping her restrained here was the choice her heart wanted, the choice that rectified the horrid deaths of her classmates, the deaths that have been forever burned into her memory without any hopes of removal. 

Who knows what Maki would do to Tsumugi once she found her. That wasn’t up to Tenko. The assassin was furious, at her last straw. Would there be a class trial if she murdered the mastermind?

The other choice seemed more logical. Letting Tsumugi go until trial would be quite useful to their team, if Tenko was to assume that the cosplayer will uphold her end of the deal. If Tsumugi came back for the class trial, came back and testified against the killing game and against the Director, it was one step forward for the class of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles. Was it sensible to grasp on what little humanity Tenko saw in the cosplayer? To assume the best in this teenager, even after all of the horrid things she did? What about the rest of her class? What would they think? What would her class think about her allowing the _mastermind_ to run free?

“ _Please,_ ” Tsumugi begs quietly.

Why did Tenko have to decide? This didn’t seem fair. Nothing about this seemed fair. She shouldn’t feel so _conflicted_ about this. The answer should be simple: Let Maki find Tsumugi. Why was she actually considering letting her go? 

It didn’t make sense. This whole day was going too quickly, the information coming too fast for her to comprehend. She just needs an answer, she needs one clear answ

-=+=-

[ http://www.strawpoll.me/20423473 ](http://www.strawpoll.me/20423473)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways. i made a playlist for this story LMAO 
> 
> it's collaborative!! if you know any good songs that might fit with this story, feel free to add! id love some new song recommendations :D
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5pPlRkNG9l3taWS8XTVa8q?si=gnrRDGIMRLinydmkaN6X-w


	33. at mountain's bottom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a decision is made, and the last ever 2 am encounter ensues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first half of my brain: fuck the investigation. write some hurt/comfort  
> second half: why  
> first half: you gotta

**_heed my final call, let tsumugi go. trust others so they can trust you._ **

It did not sound like Angie. In fact, it didn’t even sound like one person. It was a choir of people, of different tones and frequencies, yelling the same phrase but in separate intervals. It was so loud and, frankly, obnoxious that Tenko found herself visibly flinching at the abrupt influx of noise. The chorus rang in her ears, vibrant yet so murky at the same time, from everywhere and nowhere. She clutches her head as if it would silence it. It does not.

It was clear Tsumugi had noticed her twitching, as apparent through her furrowed eyebrows and confused snarl. She’s staring at the Aikido Master as if she was delusional, with bewildered, empty grey irises.

“Tenko?” Maki shouts. She’s on the same floor now, has moved to the basement.

The voices would not stop talking, but they were beginning to become clearer now. They are telling her to let Tsumugi go. They want her to let the mastermind escape.

Tenko does not hesitate. She slowly moves off of the cosplayer, and the voices halt with such vigour that you could hear a pin drop.

If Tsumugi was expecting the Aikido Master to move, it definitely wasn’t like this. Even after the brunette stood up, the cosplayer still lay on the floor, dumbfounded and hollow. She wasn’t expecting that to work. She wasn’t expecting Tenko to actually fall for it. She also wasn’t expecting the Ultimate Aikido Master to grab her rather roughly by the shoulders, shoving her back behind the pile of books she had been using as a cover. 

“There are no cameras in the kitchen,” Tenko whispers harshly, words scrambling as they escape her mouth, “Or-- I don’t know where you’ll--”

“Wha--?” Is all Tsumugi manages.

“It’s-- W-Whatever, goodnight!!”

Tenko makes sure she is packed as far into the corner as humanly possible, before sprinting back out to the middle of the library. Just in time for the Ultimate Assassin to enter in a vengeful huff.

“What’s happening?” Maki demands, quickly analyzing the room and finding nothing but the stiff Aikido Master standing in front of her, “Why did you call? Did you find her?”

“Oh-- Uh, nope! N-- False alarm!” Tenko lies through her teeth, biting her tongue to keep her from stuttering anything else.

Maki raises an eyebrow, “Are you sure? Did you check the hidden room?”

“I-I’m sure!!” Tenko confirms, even though she had not checked into the hidden room, “It-- Um--!”

Saving her almost mercifully from her pathetic attempts at deceit, Shuichi runs in with a few heavy pants, “Found her?”

Maki looks over towards Tenko, as if the Aikido Master would change her answer. She stares back, eyes wide with nerves, before she robotically shakes her head.

“ _ Damnit! _ ” The assassin hisses, causing Tenko to wince internally. It’s taking every muscle in the Aikido Master’s body not to quickly glance at Tsumugi’s hiding spot and shoot the pile of books a guilty grimace.

Why did she do that? The decision came so quickly, so suddenly and without second thought. Was Tenko becoming so desperate for an answer that she immediately followed this random voice in her head without question? And it wasn’t even  _ Angie’s _ , for Christ’s sake. It was a disorganized chant created from an ensemble of people. The more she thinks about it, the further the guilt sinks into her stomach. Maki was furious. Shuichi was so nervous he was pulling at the end of his sleeves, obviously holding way too much on his plate already for Tsumugi to suddenly up and  _ disappear. _

Not even seconds later, Himiko emerges from behind the library door, her nose instinctively scrunching at the sudden bleach smell. The Aikido Master makes a b-line towards the mage, desperate to leave the pile of books behind her. If Tsumugi gets found by Shuichi or Maki, then it’s out of Tenko’s power. She’s already done  _ more _ than she should have for the Ultimate Cosplayer.

“Are you okay?” Himiko questions softly, reaching for Tenko’s motionless hand as Shuichi and Maki converse angrily in the background. The mage was clearly asking about the meeting they just had, and the way Tenko had basically blacked out in regards to participation after Kokichi shoving a few unwanted documents into her face.

Tenko blinks, eyes watery with stress and guilt and anger and  _ fear _ , but still replies with, “Yep!!”

“Really?” 

“No.”

“Okay,” Himiko nods, “I’m going to hug you now.”

“O-Okay!!”

They embrace. The mage was warm against Tenko’s bitterly cold skin. It didn’t help that the Aikido Master was probably getting Himiko’s blazer wet with her sappy, unwanted tears. Ew. She knew that all of this pressure and suffering was piling on top of her, but sometimes she just wished she had a better method to prevent her tears from spilling everywhere that wasn’t Neo-Aikido. Something more practical, something that didn’t involve her kicking and yelling and startling everyone within a ten mile radius. 

Apparently everybody had followed Maki into the basement, because soon joining them at the entrance was Kaito, a stumbling K1-B0 behind him. In the amythest teen’s hands was the flashback light. The astronaut spares Tenko a pity look, obviously moving to say something but is interrupted as the Aikido Master shoots him a warning look screaming ‘ _ Spare me’. _

“Found her?” Kaito echoes.

_ “Obviously not,” _ Maki snaps, her fists clenching as she quickly realizes that she’s getting pissed at the wrong people, “Sorry. She’s still gone.”

The class turns expectantly towards the Ultimate Robot. Even Himiko, who was buried in Tenko’s chest, managed to turn her head to the right just to stare them down. They were blinking rapidly, fingers twitching at their sides. It was the most disturbed Tenko had probably ever seen K1-B0.

“What are we gonna do with ya?” Kaito was looking directly at the Ultimate Robot, however that question seemed much more aimed at the rest of the class. As if they got to decide K1-B0’s final verdict. 

The robot glances upwards. Their eyes were flickering from right to left, up and down. Whenever their mechanical irises managed to lock on one location they would shake violently. K1-B0 was either malfunctioning, or experiencing some sort of artificial emotion that Tenko was unable to place.

“I don’t--” They shake their head slowly, as if processing, “I really do not understand what happened.”

“What’s the last thing you remember, K1-B0?” Shuichi questions gently. 

“I was-- I was in the hidden room. And then everything began to grow impossibly loud-- I must have let Tsumugi go when I blacked out.”

It was a rather hideous contrast from what Tsumugi had said. Tenko could hear her shrill voice clearly in the back of her skull. _They’re trying to kill me!_ _They’re trying to kill me!_ Of course, she couldn’t communicate this with her classmates, because then they would all know she had conversed with Tsumugi and then subsequently _lost_ her. All she could do was bury her face into Himiko’s fiery red hair and prevent herself from spilling any secrets. 

“I-- I don’t think I can participate in any further investigation,” K1-B0 respectfully declines, jittery hands positioned in surrender, “I do not think it is wise. I need… some time alone.”

“I don’t think ‘being alone’ is an option for you right now,” Maki replies coldly, “The last time you were alone, you freed the hostage.”

“And I am very sorry--  _ very _ sorry--”

“What about leaving ‘em in his dorm?” Kaito suggests sympathetically, “Take the key.”

“Nyeh… don’t they have lasers?” Himiko mumbles, arms still wrapped around Tenko, “Can’t they just blast the door open…?”

“...Not quietly,” Shuichi shrugs. 

“Okay, we’ll vote,” Kaito quickly remarks, “All in favor of locking Keebs in their dorm until trial, say ‘aye’.”

“Aye,” Says Shuichi, Tenko, Kaito, and K1-B0 themselves.

“It’s settled then,” The Ultimate Astronaut nods, the Ultimate Robot twitching next to him. Kaito gestures with the flashback light in his hands, and both Tenko and Himiko shuffle slightly away from it, “Next order of business is this pile of junk.”

“Well, if we’re planning on using it, it’s down to us three--” Shuichi says, motioning to the reeling Maki and the determined astronaut, “And Kokichi. Because they--” He points towards the two other girls, who glare at the light as if it was the harsh, beating sun, “...Won’t try it.”

“That is very true!! Kaito, if you point that thing anywhere near me or Himiko I will personally clobber you over the head with it,” Tenko grits uneasily, shifty eyes glancing at the dangerous object in his hands. The astronaut narrows his eyes sarcastically.

“I don’t trust it. And I don’t trust Kokichi. It’s down to you two,” Maki says, shifting her gaze between Kaito and Shuichi. Both boys look at each other, as if expecting the other to volunteer. Neither do.

“We’ll chat about this later, yeah, Shuichi?” Kaito dismisses, before extending his hand and motioning the Ultimate Robot out of the library with him, “After you, Keebs.”

The Ultimate Detective returns a disgruntled noise from the back of his throat in response. He was doing a quick scan of the room, one hand still anxiously running through his hair. Tenko could only hope beyond hope that his analytical stare did not fixate itself on the pile of books Tsumugi was hiding beyond for too long. Fortunately for Tenko, and the Ultimate Cosplayer, he passed over it.

“You doin’ alright, Shuichi?” Kaito asks in consolation. The detective returns two tense thumbs up, “Awesome! Keep up the--” He’s interrupted with two heart coughs from the chest, but very sloppily recovers with, “--The good work, guys!”

He leaves, robot in tow. The detective and the assassin begin to follow, chatting amongst themselves as Shuichi attempts to piece together the situation from all of the information Maki was throwing at him.

As soon as they're gone, Tenko allows herself to take a long, generous glance at the pile of books. Tsumugi had not moved, invisible at first sight. Slowly,  _ very _ slowly, the Aikido Master begins to shuffle towards the door, one arm wrapped around Himiko, who was rambling about what might be in that new flashback light.

All Tenko could do was pray to whoever was out there that she made the right choice. She’ll have to wait until trial to find out.

-=+=-

Too many questions had been left unanswered once it reached nighttime. The class had piles upon piles of evidence, including fairly deal-breaking discrepancies that could be used to justify the end of the killing game, however much of the investigation was left open-ended. This included that rather ominous envelope, the unidentifiable flashback light, and a lot of miscellaneous items stored in the monofile to assumably never be talked about again (some oddly-placed shot put ball found in the garbage, a textbook about Hope’s Peak Academy, and other random items Tenko forgot). 

None of her classmates found Tsumugi. It’s clear the cosplayer had managed to locate another, more secure hiding spot to keep herself until tomorrow. Whether that was in the kitchen or some other blind spot was lost to Tenko.

A lot worried her! There was much to stress about, too much happening at once and way too many little things that perturbed the Aikido Master. And you know what that means! 

Tenko barely sleeps that night.

She  _ tries _ to, fully aware of her debilitating sleep schedule and the fact that she will have no opportunity to nap the next day, but she is unable to rest. It was practically a given at this point; her sleep cycle has shifted so dramatically because of this killing game that she was left wide awake during the nighttime, specifically during midnight. She would stare up at the ceiling until she finally allowed herself to get up out of her bed and meet Shuichi in the kitchen.

Tenko tosses and turns in her blue duvet. All of her peers had slept in their dorms that night, refusing to return to the uncomfortable and rather stuffy hidden room.  _ Especially _ with the mastermind missing in action.

The air conditioner above the Aikido Master’s bed shivers and rattles. She had checked it with Kaito (the tallest classmate and pretty good with tools) and Maki (also fairly impressive with tools and was sensible enough to the hold the ladder before Kaito fell backwards) at one point, after complaining for quite a while to the entire class about how annoying and distracting it was. It turns out a rock had lodged itself into a distant fan, skipping about whenever it turned on. The fan was so far upwards that not even Kaito could shake it out. So consider her sleep ruined even further.

It’s 2:23 am. Tenko purses her lips in disdain, forcing her eyes shut for a few seconds just to see if she could compel herself to sleep, but fails rather spectacularly. She pushes herself to the side of the bed, staring down at her feet. Tenko  _ really _ should be resting. There was an important negotiation in the morning that required her full, undivided attention.

But somehow, despite knowing all of this, Tenko finds herself walking to the kitchen, anyways. 

_ It’s to check if Tsumugi was there, _ is what she told herself. But in all honesty, she just wanted to meet with the detective and see if he was doing okay. She’d be reluctant to admit her worry for a  _ degenerate _ out loud…. But still. He was clearly unsettled. There was no way he wouldn’t be awake like Tenko. The Aikido Master could only assume, since they were no longer trapped in the hidden room, that he would resume his normal schedule. Or maybe this was dumb.

She scratches at her stomach. These pajamas were too small and too itchy. She can’t wait for the day when she gets to wear her actual pajamas again. And that day  _ will _ come. She’s been trying to get back into the habit of using “when” instead of “if”, especially around those who needed to hear bright things. For example: Shuichi. 

Tenko steps politely into the kitchen and is greeted with silence. Tsumugi is not there, and, more disappointingly, Shuichi wasn’t either.

She lingers inside the room for a few moments, disheartened. She’ll have to talk to him tomorrow, she supposes, right before the negotiation. The trial was to begin fairly early in the morning, 9:00 am exactly, meaning the class would have to wake up even  _ earlier _ for last minute adjustments and breakfast. Her peers had decided on waking up relatively around 6:00 am to give them enough time, meaning Tenko was  _ supposed _ to be waking up about four hours from now. And it seems, for once, Shuichi had stayed in his dorm to compensate for the early wake-up call. 

_ Or, _ he had the common sense to keep his doors locked, considering Tsumugi was still out and about and the night time has proven to be the most dangerous time of day. Instead of risking his safety, Shuichi stayed in his dorm. The smarter, less impulsive thing to do. 

Tenko slides over to fill the tea pot, now convinced that she should have never come down here. She should grab a cup of tea and return hastily to her dorm. But as she turns the tap off, placing the kettle back on its stand, she hears a light twinkle. 

It’s awkward and lacks a solid rhythm, but nevertheless it’s calming. Soothing. It’s faint music, seeping through the floorboards above her, down the stairs from the second floor.

Piano.

The Aikido Master finds herself gliding towards the source of the music, its wistful, nostalgic chords and beautiful legato flooding the hallways as she approaches. It’s sorrowful. Longing, yet so peaceful. It’s a gorgeous piece, a wonderful composition. Tenko didn’t listen to classical music that much, and wouldn’t be able to name the piece that was being played currently, but still found familiarity in it despite never listening to it before. She approaches the source of the music with gentle footsteps, careful not to disturb the pianist. It’s coming from Kaede’s Research Lab. 

Sitting at the Ultimate Pianist’s grand piano, with his eyes glued to the music sheet in front of him, was the Ultimate Detective himself.

He appeared rather mournful, his eyes sunken and melancholy as they glide over the stanzas of music. The first time he pauses, obviously having messed up somewhere, Shuichi quickly recollects himself and continues his choppy yet elegant performance. The second time he stuffs up, however, Shuichi finds himself unable to keep playing, sighing at himself before throwing his head in his hands. Tenko’s lips curl downwards.

“I didn’t know you played piano,” She starts quietly. The detective looks upwards, slightly startled, before frantically wiping underneath his eyes, “I liked it.”

Shuichi avoids looking at her, keeping his gaze low so the Aikido Master couldn’t see his glassy eyes, “O-Oh… thank you. It’s really bad, I know--”

“I just said I liked it, degenerate!” Her statement was more playful than harsh, softer than normal, “Don’t drag yourself down. How long have you been awake?”

“Hmm? Oh, um, since 2. I’m assuming you’ve been, as well?”

“Yeah,” She moves from underneath the doorway and drifts over towards the piano, “Say… Did you and Kaito end up using the flashback light?”

Shuichi rubs his eyes with the palm of his hand, sniffling before replying with, “No. We decided against it.”

Tenko scoffs, “I knew it… Kaito can dish it but doesn’t have the balls to go through with it….!”

“Oh--  _ Pfft-- _ No, we just read through the translations again,” The detective says in his defense, finally turning around to face the Aikido Master, “It was most likely the flashback light that relayed all of the information about Hope’s Peak Academy. We already have the textbook, so we just kinda decided… It wasn’t worth the risk. Especially with Tsumugi running about…”

As soon as Shuichi faces Tenko, it is glaringly obvious he’s been crying. She had been right, afterall: the stress of this final investigation and negotiation had finally caught up to him. It made sense for him to be overwhelmed, considering how a lot of people were counting on him as the Ultimate Detective. Tenko was going to help as much as she could, and Himiko had promised to do her best as well, but nobody could handle the situation better than Shuichi. He was the backbone of this team, the one who would lead them through the negotiation. And it was certainly taking a toll now. 

“Are you okay?” Tenko asks. Obviously he was not, but she wanted to let him know she was there to talk.

“Ergh-- Yeah, sorry,” He wipes at his eyes again, laughing self-deprecating, “God, this is embarrassing--”

“Don’t apologize for having emotions. I cried in the library, and that was just because I was overwhelmed!!” Tenko shrugs, “You don’t need an excuse to cry.”

Despite her statement, he rubs his nose with his sleeve, blinking repeatedly, “Still.”

“Have you been playing the piano for long?” She asks, knowing Shuichi needed something else to think about than trying to wipe away his tears.

The detective smiles wryly, “No. I started playing… after the first trial. I promised I’d learn this  _ one _ song,” After Tenko hums in solemn acknowledgement, he quickly diverts the subject from him by asking, “How about you? You play any piano?”

“Ehhhh…. My elementary school required us to learn an instrument for this fall showcase they did. I was quite bad!!” She grimaces at the memory, “A kid threw a shoe at me from the audience.”

Shuichi snorts unattractively, “How rude. Do you know any songs?”

“Um…”

He scoots to the left, leaving room for Tenko to sit down on the piano bench. Once she takes a seat next to him, staring at the music notes left on the sheet in front of them, the Aikido Master quickly remembers a happy tune.

“Oh! Wait, I do know something!” She chirps, wiggling her hands before placing them rather roughly on the piano. 

_ E flat…. F flat…. _

As soon as her fingers play the first two notes she is immediately reminded of what exact song she was playing. One of the most simple songs to strum out on the piano, considering its easy finger placement. The name was lost to her, but she knew damn well what that song reminded her of. And in front of  _ Shuichi??  _ Abort mission,  _ abort mission! _

“N-Nevermind!” She quickly chokes, removing her hands from the piano before she played any more of  _ The Flea Waltz _ , “I don’t remember anything!”

“Haha, that’s fine,” Shuichi consoles. Tenko exhales in relief. Thank god he didn’t recognize the song, “It’s pretty cool that your school made you learn an instrument.”

“That is about the only cool thing my school did!” She replies, to which the detective laughs a little more at.

The Aikido Master turns towards the music sheet placed daintily on the piano. Shuichi was playing the same song that her and Himiko found the last time they investigated this room:  _ Claire de Lune. _ It seemed simple enough, if her lacking knowledge about reading music told her anything. Shuichi mentioned that he only started playing it after the first trial. She’s seen him slink in here occasionally during the day when the class had free time.

“Why this song?” Tenko asks, grabbing the first sheet of music and inspecting it like she had any idea what it said, “What’s so special about it?  _ Err-- _ Not to say it’s bad--”

“No, it’s just… It was Kaede’s favorite song.”

The answer takes the Aikido Master by surprise. Suddenly, the situation at hand was making a lot more sense. She had thought it was a little weird how the Ultimate Detective had suddenly taken up an interest in pianos at 2 in the morning. In reality, he was simply reminiscing. 

“Oh… Well, I can see why. It’s a really pretty song,” Tenko offers, returning to a whisper.

“Yeah. Hope I didn’t wake you up.”

The brunette shrugs grimly, movements sluggish. She reaches over to situate the music sheet back in its original place, patting it into its correct position, “You didn’t. There was no way I was gonna sleep.”

As soon as he sees the first sheet back in order, the detective begins to play the melody once more. His hands drift more fluidly over the piano tiles, with a more continuous rhythm than the tune he was holding while Tenko was in the kitchen. He was obviously just a little rusty from being burrowed away in some secret room for a few days, however he quickly got the grasp of it again. His second playthrough was already proving to be better than his first.

Now, knowing who the song was for, it held more meaning. More power. It was sorrowful, regretful yet hopeful at the same time. A contrite piece dedicated to the first blackened of the killing game. Someone he called a friend.

“How are you feeling?” He asks, hands still moving across the piano. Tenko could see now that he’s worked quite hard on learning this piece, “About this final trial.”

“Honestly?” At her question, the detective nods, “Not great.”

“Oh? How so?”

Why shouldn’t she be open with him? It was perhaps their final conversation together that wasn’t going to be preparing for the negotiation. Of course, they were still  _ talking _ about the negotiation, but not in some business-serious-no-fun kinda way. And even then, this might be the only way to get Shuichi to talk about how  _ he’s _ feeling. Through example. If the man-hating misandrist is able to open herself up to the detective after all her years of disciplined prejudice and admit how she was feeling, then surely he should be able to as well. And besides, it wasn’t as hard as it was at the beginning of this killing game. Shuichi was easy to talk to, when he wasn’t constantly making remarks at his own expense. 

“I just have this awful feeling that I’m not gonna make it,” Tenko admits. It’s the first time she’s spoken it out loud. She hadn’t even mentioned it to Himiko, in fear of worrying the Ultimate Mage, “I always feel...  _ lucky _ to be alive. Like I shouldn’t be here,” Maybe it was the calming music that was making these words tumble out of her mouth so easily, “I’m  _ not _ supposed to be here. And I’m worried it’s going to catch up to me during the trial.”

“That’s understandable,” Shuichi hums in sympathy, looking up briefly to share a comforting smile with her before returning his gaze to the sheet of music, “What do you think will happen? How will it catch up to you?”

“I just--” Now that she thought about it, it sounded a little silly. And rather grim, “If we…  _ did _ have to sacrifice somebody… I just feel that since I was  _ supposed _ to--”

“None of us would let that happen,” He says seriously, eyes firm yet never leaving the music sheet.  _ Claire de Lune _ was progressing, the melody increasing in power, “Nobody here would do that to you. Besides, Himiko would place curses on all of us if we let that happen, and I’m not ready for that lifestyle.”

Tenko exhales, humored. Now that she thought about it, it did sound a little stupid. She’s come to trust her classmates. While she didn’t  _ respect _ a few of them (cough, Kaito, cough), she could still say she trusts them. Shuichi was right. They wouldn’t do that to her. And she would never do that to them, either.

“You know she told us off, right?” He chuckles, accompanied by the music, “After Maki knocked you out and carried you to the hidden room, Himiko got super mad at us for handcuffing you. She had  _ just _ gotten her memories wiped, yet she still cared about you a whole lot. Took all the energy out of her,” Tenko blushes faintly, but it’s so dark the detective wouldn’t have been able to see, anyways, “That flashback light was pretty stupid. Both of you immediately became friends again.”

“Y-Yeah. It just made me all confused,” She replies, shaking the red out of her cheeks before immediately reverting the subject back to him, “How about you? How are you feeling about this next trial?”

The question makes Shuichi fumble with the melody for a second, before he replies with a tense, “Okay.”

_ Hmphf, _ “Just…  _ okay?? _ ”

“Well-- Okay, pretty bad.”

“Yeah, that’s more like it,” She says sarcastically. The detective resumes playing with less vigour, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s a lot of stress. But I know  _ everybody’s _ stressed, so it doesn--”

“Yeah, we’re all stressed. So what? Doesn’t mean you can’t be stressed, too.”

Shuichi frowns, eyes flickering towards his hands before returning immediately towards the music sheet, “ I mean-- I  _ can’t _ be.”

Tenko squints, “Huh?”

“I can’t be all emotional.”

The duo fall silent, with nothing but the piano keeping them from complete quiet. The phrase lingers in the air, hangs in the stillness. He  _ can’t _ be emotional? Shuichi must be referring to the way he acts around the class. Even though he lets his own tiredness and anxiety slip through most of the time, there was clearly underlying self-doubt and insecurity buried deep within.

Even though she already kinda knew the answer, Tenko still asks, “Why not?”

The melody was becoming increasingly faster, gliding from pianissimo to a ruffled forte, “A lot is riding on this. I can’t get all sappy now.”

“Well, sure, but you shouldn’t just shove your emotions to the side,” The Aikido Master explains, turning her whole body around so her knees face the detective, “Trust me, it very much sucks!!”

Dwelling on her feelings for too long only led to bad things with Tenko. She believes in being completely honest with yourself and how you are feeling. It seems this doesn’t include being honest with others, considering how she was still very stubbornly omitting vital information about the location and whereabouts of the Ultimate Cosplayer. 

“Sure,” Shuichi replies fairly coldly, not once moving his eyes away from the papers in front of him, “But a lot is riding on this, so I need to focus.”

“Everything is going to be fine. But you can’t just  _ ignore-- _ ”

“Tenko, can we drop this, please?” His playing is getting harsher, the volume reaching mezzo forte, “I’m fine, really.”

She was a little taken aback by the sudden drop in tone, very tempted to call him a degenerate for speaking to her like that but quickly represses the urge, “Obviously you’re not. This upcoming trial is big, we all know! But you don’t need to place so much pressure on yourself--”

“Tenko, I’m a  _ detective. _ Everybody’s kinda expecting--- They’re all counting on me to--”

“Everybody here understands you have  _ limits. _ You don’t need to be invincible.”

“I  _ can’t _ have limits _ now _ , Tenko,” His voice is loud and firm, and it causes the Aikido Master to furrow her brows in irritation. Shuichi’s gentle melody has now become a grating, agitated noise, “People will be disappointed if I--”

“ _ Who!?” _ Tenko demands, voice reaching the same volume as his now fortissimo playing, “ _ Who  _ would be dissapoi--”

Shuichi slams his hands on the piano, turns towards the Aikido Master, and releases an emotional, “ _ I  _ would!” Before he turns towards the  _ Claire de Lune _ sheet music, gesturing wildly with a choked, “And  **_she_ ** \--”

The music stops.

The detective crumbles, burying his face in his hands and muffling his own sobs. His solo-symphony has reached its peak, and is now disintegrating before the Aikido Master’s eyes. Shuichi’s shoulders jolt, his wails anguished and filled with deeply rooted hatred and regret, fear and sorrow.

Tenko immediately feels awful, extending her hand to comfort him but recoils as soon as she realizes that she’s about to touch a  _ boy. _ Nevertheless, she allows him this moment to cry, the pair reaching a comfortable silence. Once Shuichi had started, it seems he truly couldn’t stop himself again. His cries were ugly, unrestrained and completely justified. Tenko did nothing but listen, but sit patiently. Sometimes that was all a person needed. Some company. 

“S-Sorry--” He garbles, snottily and buried in his hands, “Sorry for y-- For yelling at you.”

“Don’t be, I get it. Don’t apologize. The first time we had one of these late night encounters I was bawling my eyes out  _ and _ yelling at you. Why would I tell you that you can’t do the same thing?” Her reply must have taken him by surprise, because he twitches from behind his fingers. Clearly, he was expecting her to shout and scream at him for being a  _ disgraceful degenerate who had no right to yell at her like that _ , “I’m sorry for pushing.”

He nods, accepting her apology. They reach comfortable silence once more, without Tenko forcing him to say anything. She stares daggers into the notes written on the sheet music, eyeballing the paper so intensely she was beginning to see double.

He eventually chooses to speak, at his own pace, “I’ve done so many thi-- things  _ wrong, _ ” His words are laced with hiccups, “I’ve fucked up with so many trials when everybody was counting on me-- I’ve- I’ve sent  _ so many people _ to their  _ deaths-- _ ”

Tenko opens her mouth to tell him that he is so incorrect it hurts, but seals it shut. She will let him talk and then console him later.

He exhales heavily, lifting himself from his hands. His laughs are watery and deprecating, “I know-- I just  _ know _ that-- She’d be  _ so _ …. Disappointed in me.”

At this point, the Aikido Master refused to let him speak to himself like that, “Hey!! Absolutely not!! Alright,  _ first of all _ : You didn’t send  _ anybody _ to their deaths. If anything, we  _ all _ did.  _ Monokuma _ did.”

“Well, I had a  _ large say _ in--”

“What else were you supposed to do, Shuichi? Let everybody vote incorrectly and die?” At her blunt question he freezes, thinking briefly before shaking his head slowly, “You were only doing what you had to. And  _ second of all-- _ ” She stares him directly in the eyes, completely serious and momentous, “Kaede would  _ never _ be disappointed in you. I find that ridiculous. You might have known her a little better, but I still  _ knew  _ her. And I  _ know _ that she only saw the best in you.”

“She  _ did, _ ” He enunciated, “Before I sent her off to--”

“If you’re going to keep putting yourself down, then don’t talk at all, degenerate,” She snaps, and immediately Shuichi’s lips seal, “That wasn’t your fault. And I don’t really--  _ Believe _ in ghosts and crap…” She was trying her hardest not to acknowledge Angie or any of the voices, “But if she was watching over us, she’d be nothing but proud. You’ve got us  _ this  _ far, Shuichi!!”

“I can’t take  _ all _ the credit,” He replies bashfully, wiping snot away with his sleeve.

“You can take a  _ lot _ of it,” She clarifies, “You’ve been nothing but helpful. It’s unfair of you to kick yourself around for doing what you  _ had _ to. I mean-- The Clown Crusade?? That fourth trial?? You… basically saved my life,” Before continuing, she adds a sharp, “Oh, uh-- Thanks for that, by the way. Don’t expect any more thanks, though!! One is already way more than I would give to a degenerate!!”

“Noted,” He replies with a grin.

“--But, anyways. Back to my original point. You don’t have to carry this pressure alone, Shuichi. You’ve got people behind you!! We all know you’ve worked really hard to get us here. And we’re about to escape!!” She glances to the left awkwardly, before replying with a quick, “Maybe.”

He snorts amusingly, hiccuping. The pair stare forwards at the sheet music, at Kaede’s favorite song, the only audible noise being Shuichi’s loud sniffs. Absent-mindedly, Tenko places her finger on the C key, allowing the note to hang in the air. 

“If Kaede were here--” She begins again, allowing her hand to fall back onto her lap, “She would be  _ so _ proud of you.”

The conversation drifts to a stop, the last sentence lingering. It was getting pretty late. Maybe she should force the detective to go to bed. How heavy is he? Surely she could throw him over her shoulder if the situation called for it.

She turns over and Shuichi was staring, eyes glassy and blank, at the music. He looked so tired. So dreary and fatigued. Tenko really did wish the best for him. She couldn’t imagine what life will be like for him if they--  _ when _ they escape. There are decisions that will haunt this teenager forever, gruesome moments and deaths that none of them would ever be able to run from. But despite all of this, Shuichi managed through it. It was remarkable, really. How he managed to carry all of this stress on his shoulders without breaking down every five seconds like he just had. Tenko respected him. She had never thought she would ever think that about a  _ degenerate, _ let alone  _ show _ it.

So it was even  _ more _ appalling when she reached over to hug him.

He stiffens at first, but ultimately hugs back, if cautiously. It seems that broke the barrier even further, because Tenko could hear him trying to hold back another onslaught of tears.

Tenko Chabashira hasn’t hugged a boy in years. But right now, at 2 am in the morning, it felt right. 

Shuichi Saihara was her friend. And he will be okay, as long as she was there to protect him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> take a look at this absolutely wonderful drawing of the end of this chapter by @devilcakes on tumblr !! its so lovely i love it so mudhsfkj
> 
> https://devilcakes.tumblr.com/post/622129635599237120/comfort-ur-friends-okthatsgreat-hhhewwwo-i


	34. within the darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the same relationship in two different settings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me? making pre-game himiko a little bit of a dick? it's more likely than you think.
> 
> note time!!
> 
> 1) tenko's final outfit (and maki's eventual final outfit) is heavily inspired by these character redesigns by @generatorahinei on tumblr!! check out the drawings here: https://bloodycryptid.tumblr.com/post/189916197460/dr-girls-but-with-suitable-clothes-they
> 
> 2) i want to say THANK YOU all again so much for all of the support you have given me. i am seriously so so grateful for every single comment and kudos, so thank you all so much!! you all mean the world to me <3333333
> 
> alright, note time over!! i hope you enjoy this chapter, which i like to call "Giving the Gays What They Want"

_Does Team Danganronpa understand what heaters are? Because this waiting room was cold as balls._

**_[REDACTED]_ ** _had been waiting outside, in line with hundreds of other desperate teenagers, for hours now, only to finally be admitted into the waiting room and be told she needed to wait even_ longer. _She had made the first “cut”, even if it didn’t seem all that official. She saw the Team Danganronpa officials turning away teenagers they didn’t deem fit at the door. She was scanned over, rather uncomfortably, and allowed through to the waiting room where she now sat._

 _It was much smaller than she was expecting, which probably explained why she was waiting in line so long. It was a dimly lit, dark cube of a room, covered wall to wall in foldable black chairs. From her count, there were seven people currently waiting with her. Two of the most notable included a rather tall, sandy-blonde girl who had definitely ran here after her shift at a maid cafe, and one redhead who sat two chairs to the right of_ **_[REDACTED]._ **

_The redhead was small in stature, her hair pulled back into two low ponytails. She went to Dream Forest Girl’s High-- if the emblem on her uniform’s shirt pocket told_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _anything-- some pretentious all-girls school in the same district._ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _’s school, Stone College Prep, always lost to their well-disciplined, high-end dancers. The redhead was not a dancer, however._ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _had never seen her while competing._

_The tiny redhead was observing her fellow auditoners silently, analyzing every single one of them without speaking. She was tapping her pen rather obnoxiously on the clipboard that had been handed to her, obviously perturbed with the last few questions._

_Every teenager auditioning for the 53rd season of Danganronpa was to fill out a character sheet. Personal information was an afterthought, a tiny box in the back of the forms. The team wanted to imagine you as a character, wanted ideas for what you could bring to the newest killing game. And_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _was blanking. She had a general idea of her character, knew what she wanted out of the experience, but hadn’t thought of any specifics on her bike ride there. Her mind was frozen, the nerve-wracking situation causing her to gulp in extra oxygen._

_And it didn’t help that one of the Team Danganronpa officials kept staring right at her. If it was a girl she’d be only a little off put, but it was this middle aged man. Was she going to be alone in the audition room with him? Because she would rather run out and audition another day instead of being alone with this man. She didn’t trust him. It wasn’t personal, she didn’t trust any man, but she was beginning to feel her chest constrict. Maybe this was dumb. Maybe she should just leave before anything bad happens to her. The oxygen around her was becoming heavier with each passing minute, the past rushing at her as well as the future. Maybe-_

_“Hey. Quit doing that.”_

**_[REDACTED]_ ** _turns sharply to her right. The redhead was glaring at her, her copper eyes squinted and mouth curled downwards. After thorough analysis of her surroundings, the redhead had finally decided to talk._

 _“U-Um… what?”_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _stutters, running a shaky hand through her mousy brown hair._

_“You’re freaking out. Stop,” The redhead demands rather bluntly, sparing a quick glance at the man the brunette was so worried about, “They’re trying to find unique qualities about you, and all you’re giving them is that you’re scared of men. Is that what you want your entire character to be? Some man-hater?”_

_“Oh... um--”_

_“Then be quiet.”_

_Damn. Immediately, the redhead returns to her clipboard, her pencil continuing to tap against it._ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _also shoves her head into her forms, mouth hanging open. She hadn’t expected such a cold tone from this tiny teenager next to her, whose grey uniform was so large it covered her small hands. It seems that she, as well as_ **_[REDACTED],_ ** _knew not to make a huge fuss with their outfit choice. A former contestant on Danganronpa had mentioned in an interview how the officials wanted to see you as a blank slate during the audition process, so it was best to come in school uniform or clothing that wasn’t too out there. Some kids in the waiting room were clearly not taking that advice. There was a boy in the back corner who was dressed like he already was_ in _the game._

 _The brunette sneaks a glance at what the redhead was writing on her character sheet. She had ticked the boxes for “survivor”, “blackened”, and “mastermind” all at once. Her suggested Ultimate talent was the Ultimate Journalist, a talent that had been used in the 24th and 43rd season. Written as her character’s title was the name_ **_Himiko Yumeno_ ** _._

 **_[REDACTED]_ ** _had selected the name_ **_Tenko._ ** _It was the name of this really pretty girl from her school who did martial arts. She was strong, determined, and not easily swayed by fear. Everything that_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _wanted to be._

_‘Himiko’, as the brunette thereby dubbed her, was still stuck on a box. It was the area where you were supposed to give ideas, bring life to your character, tell the officials what exactly you planned to do. ‘Tenko’ had already written a few down, next to some disorganized doodles of pansies and tulips._

_The redhead turns over and the duo make brief eye contact. After ‘Himiko’ checks over what ‘Tenko’ has written thus far, she leans over._

_“If I go in there and tell them we’re a couple, would you back me up?” She whispers._

**_[REDACTED]_ ** _flusters, face hot, “N-- What!? N-No!”_

_“Aw, come on. Why not?” The redhead whispers, glancing over just to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation, “We both need that extra edge. We’re the most boring people here.”_

_She wasn’t wrong. Everybody else had something distinct about them that made them stand out. There was a reason they made the first cut. The sandy-blonde had her work uniform, the boy in the corner had his well-made cosplay. There was a pair of twins with striking pale blue eyes, just waiting to be the next blackened. There was this brown-haired boy that was so muscular he barely fit in his chair._

_The brunette and the redhead were dull in comparison._

_“We tell them we’re a couple. They’ll eat that shit up,” ‘Himiko’ has already started writing this down on her character sheet._

_“Wh-- No! Hold on--” ‘Tenko’ tries to pause, hastily bringing her volume back down to a whisper, “I didn’t say you could do that! A-And I’m not…._ A lessbbbiiaan…….... _”_

_The redhead rolls her eyes, “Sure. And get over it. I’m only trying to help.”_

_“W-Well, you’re being quite_ rude _about it…”_

_“What? Did I hurt your feelings? I’m being realistic,” Again, this attitude was quite appalling, coming from this 4’11 teenager, “We’re not going to make it.”_

_“You d-don’t know that!” The brunette objects, gaining slight confidence, “They like to see blank slates, i-it’s--”_

_“They want to see_ some _personality. What, do you think they’ll magically make you interesting?”_

 _“W-Well, there has to be_ some _magic involved if they--”_

 _“Oh, grow up. Magic isn’t real,” ‘Himiko’ hissed, before reaching over to grab_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _by the shoulder. ‘Tenko’ flinched at her touch, “This will_ work _, I promise. We just have to--”_

_“P-Please leave me alone,” ‘Tenko’ demanded weakly, shoving the redhead’s hand off of her shoulder, “And don’t touch me.”_

_They returned to tense silence._ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _filled out more of her form just to distract herself. She wanted to be the Ultimate Martial Artist. With muscles for days. And she wanted to be strong and determined and not flinch every time anybody touched her. And she wanted to protect people and have strength._

 _‘Himiko’ was right. There was nothing interesting about her. And if what she had just said was right, all Team Danganronpa had to go off of was the worried glances that_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _kept throwing at the boys in the room. She didn’t want an entire character based around that._

_“I-I get the crux of your idea, but…” She whispers, glancing over at the redhead who was caught mid-yawn, “I don’t want my entire character to be some pining idiot.”_

_“Hm. One-sided. I could see that,” ‘Himiko’ shrugs, crossing some things out on her clipboard before jumping excitedly into the chair right next to her, “You won’t regret this. Trust me, this will take us straight to the final round of auditions.”_

_There were three more rounds the auditioners had to endure, all over Japan. Before any of them were actually admitted into the killing game. And apparently, according to past survivors, there was no telling if you made it until the actual game starts. A little scary. But_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _wanted to be in this game. She wanted to be in Danganronpa with all of her heart._

_“It’s not going to work out,” ‘Tenko’ breathes, shaking her head. At the redhead’s raised eyebrow, she adjusted her clipboard, pointing her pen towards the ticked box which alerted the officials of what status she preferred her character to be if she were to be a part of the killing game. Checked in blue pen was the box labeled “victim”. Next to it, a doodle of a dying flower._

_“That’s even_ better _._ You _can be_ my _character development,” The redhead says, a wicked smile curving across her face as she imagined her killing game character, “I can see it now: The most_ boring _participant vows to change for the better after her deceased love.”_

 _“N-Not love. Just-- Just a_ friend _,”_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _corrects softly._

_The redhead shrugs, “Whatever. Not like they actually make any gay couples canon. So, how about it?”_

_‘Tenko’ shifts nervously in her chair, peeking quickly at the Team Danganronpa official, who was still staring the two girls down, likely watching the entire conversation. Their clipboards would be obtained soon, whether it was filled out or not._

_“O-Okay, fine. But don’t talk to me,” ‘Tenko’ consents cautiously. After ‘Himiko’ pats her twice on her shoulder, she quickly follows with a sharp, “I said stop touching me.”_

_The redhead retracts her arm, clicking her pen and starting a new dotted list on her form. After noticing the doodles of flowers that the brunette continued to nervously scribble, she quickly follows with, “Whatever you say, my flower_ . _”_

-=+=-

Surprisingly, Tenko actually got a little sleep that night. It was about 2 and a half hours, but still. It was something. 

She wakes up at exactly 6:00 am the next morning, the nerves hitting her like a ton of bricks. She has to sit on the side of her bed and just breathe for a second, the pit in her stomach weighing her down. Her feet stuck to the floor. She knows she has to get up eventually. It’s a big day today.

Negotiation. The final showdown.

Once Tenko manages to stand herself up, she quickly comes to realize that a pile of clothing has been dropped at the end of her bed. Sitting politely on top was a white note with lovely calligraphy. Next to it, a vibrant red spider lily. 

**Tenko,**

**We have provided your outfit for the final negotiation. Please be sure to wear it.**

**< 3, Monokuma and the Monokubs**

She didn’t _want_ to wear it, necessarily, but it wasn’t really an option. The note only further spited her with its crudely drawn heart right before Monokuma and the Monokub’s signatures. She crumbles the paper and chucks it rudely into a corner.

The “outfit” in question was incredibly familiar. It was her traditional Neo-Aikido gi: a refreshing sky-blue color that was loose-fitting and tied around the waist with a cotton white belt. The outfit was paired with her typical knee-high white socks, a white turtle-necked undershirt, some sandals, and her signature windmill bow. They even snuck in an exact replica of her lime green, floral vigilante mask she used to wear with her Master. It seems much more like an outfit to kick some ass in, not one for negotiation. It was some spectacle, some grand demonstration of her Ultimate talent.

Tenko looks at herself in the mirror and can’t help but get a little excited. It felt incorrect to be _excited_ about this hair-pulling, anxiety-inducing situation she was in currently, but seeing herself in her old uniform felt homely. Comforting, in some crazy way. 

And speaking of crazy, her hair was just absolutely a mess. She brushed it back, but had no idea what to do with it afterwards. This was a special occasion, so surely she should do something else with it?? She’s never really done anything fancy with her short hair since she didn’t exactly know what hairstyles she could attempt now that her long hair was cut off. But you know who _does?_ The Ultimate Mage.

And while she’s there, she should give her a gift!! As soon as she had seen the spider lily on top of her clothes, Tenko immediately thought of Himiko. She made sure to move the flower to the side so she wouldn’t crush it while changing. After a quick double check in the mirror, Tenko grabs the flower and places it gently into her pant pocket, making sure not to destroy it.

Tenko rubs her tired eyes, adjusts her face mask back over her nose, and grabs the letter she found the other day. With one quick inspection, she shoves the envelope into her back pocket and skips off to Himiko’s dorm.

Her other classmates must have already gone to the kitchen, as nobody greeted her once she left the dorm. Further proving this theory correct, Kaito’s door was wide open. Obviously, the Ultimate Astronaut didn’t see much purpose in closing it now that they weren’t going back. 

She raps twice against Himiko’s door.

“Just a second!!” The mage replies. There’s muffled shuffling from behind the wall before Himiko valiantly opens the door to reveal her final outfit.

Her attire was very fitted towards her Ultimate talent, an homage to her years of performing as a mage. Over a crisp white dress shirt was a black-buttoned red vest, covered by a cropped, coal-colored blazer with a peaked lapel. Her above-knee-length shorts were the same color as her blazer’s collar, high-waisted with draped side pockets. To accessorize, some calf-high black buckle boots and her signature witch hat. The crowning piece of her costume, however, had to be the floor-length black cape with a velvet red interior, which Himiko presented whimsically. 

The two girls spend a solid minute gushing over each other’s outfits, pointing out articles of clothing that looked cool or very pretty on the other while explaining the significance in certain accessories. Tenko excitedly took off her mask to show her the flowers she had painted on them when she was thirteen, and Himiko hops up to plop her witches hat on Tenko’s head while explaining the process behind choosing this specific, magical hat. After calming down from the rush of seeing each other, the Ultimate Mage invites the brunette into her dorm.

“You want me to do your hair, right?” Himiko immediately guesses.

Tenko giggles, patting her mousy hair, “Well, yes, but also!! I have a gift for you!!”

The Ultimate Mage pauses, a faint smile creeping up on her, “O-Oh? That’s so funny, I _also_ have a gift.”

“ _Really?_ Thank you so much, Himiko!!” Tenko gasps elatedly, “But before we do that, I actually do need help with my hair!!”

“Come ‘ere,” Himiko gestures towards the bed, “I’ll grab some stuff.”

As the Ultimate Mage ducks into the bathroom, the Aikido Master pats her pant pocket gently. The flower was still in there, even if a few petals had fallen off and it had become quite smushed in its tiny compartment. It was still pretty, and the thought was there. Hopefully Himiko didn’t mind how flat it had gotten. 

Himiko emerges from the bathroom with her hairbrush and some hair ties. The mage jumps onto her bed, plopping behind Tenko who was sitting politely at the edge. She unclips the Aikido Master’s windmill bow and begins brushing through her knotted hair.

“I’m going to braid this small part of your hair and then pin it back. Is that okay?” Himiko questions.

“I don’t mind!” Tenko replies, swerving her head to look at her briefly, “I trust you!!”

The Ultimate Mage finishes combing through the brunette’s hair, getting a little rough around the knots and having to sit up on her knees for leverage. Despite the tangles being practically ripped out of her head, it was still calming just to sit and listen to Himiko hum behind her. The redhead did not mind much when Tenko would shift and twitch occasionally, itching to move. Once Tenko’s brown hair was manageable, the mage selects a small part of her hair from the right side and begins braiding.

“How are you feeling?” Is the first question she asks, breaking the comfortable silence.

“A little better than yesterday,” Tenko replies. It was the truth. Explaining everything to Shuichi, a friend who she knows won’t repeat her grievances to others, was liberating in a way. Still, she wasn’t _spectacular._ There still was this negotiation. And also, she slept for about 2 and a half hours last night, “How about you?”

“Nervous,” Himiko says easily, tiny fingers plaiting something intricate, “Very nervous… But kinda excited, too. We have a lot of evidence on our side… so we might actually be able to leave this place for good!”

“That would be amazing!!” Tenko agrees giddily, accidentally tugging her own hair when she moves around too wildly, “You’re right, we _do_ have a lot of evidence on our side. I think we have a very good chance!!”

“Yeah,” Himiko giggles, finishing the braid and reaching for the bow. Tenko hears a faint sigh from behind her, “...I think I’m just trying to convince myself that these nerves are good… My mana is too low to use my calming magic…”

“Do we need to do some breathing exercises?” The Aikido Master offers, “I was thinking of leading the class through them before the trial started!”

Himiko sits her chin on Tenko’s shoulder, “Considerate as always. That sounds good, actually.”

The Ultimate Mage pins the braid backwards with the windmill bow, clicking her tongue to signal her finishing. 

“Here’s hoping we can get Kokichi to actually _cooperate_ for it,” Himiko jokes bitterly. 

“Here’s hoping!!”

For the final touch, the mage places her hand on Tenko’s cheek to move her face around, combing her bangs to frame her eyes. The Aikido Master could only pray that her cheeks did not feel as hot to Himiko as they did to her.

“Abracadabra...” The mage places the brush down, but her hand remains on Tenko’s cheek. Any longer and the Aikido Master _will_ start blacking out, “...Done! Okay… don’t move. I’m gonna put this stuff away. I’m sure there’s a pocket mirror in there…”

Himiko grabs the supplies and skips happily back into her bathroom. Tenko blinks for a moment, rather flustered by the affectionate touch from her friend, but then rapidly stands up and checks the flower once more. It’s been even _more_ crushed, now that she’s sat down. Jeez, Tenko really hopes Himiko likes it. She just wants to let her know how much she means to her, how helpful and kind and considerate she’s been through this hideous experience. 

She had played with the idea of telling the mage that she likes her. It was the _final_ negotiation, afterall. If Tenko had something to say, she might as well just get it out on the table now. But what would happen if they actually manage to make it out to the other side? How awkward would that be? If Himiko says no and Tenko is left there all embarrassed? Ew. Ew ew ew. No thank you. She would rather pine forever than be rejected. She would rather not have to live with that consequence and constantly be reminded of the past. But it was nice to imagine a world where Himiko saw the Aikido Master the same way she did, saw her and only saw the future.

“Here it is,” Himiko calls. Tenko quickly flips around, hiding the spider lily behind her back and tucking it into her belt.

The mage opens a tiny pocket mirror, some dinky rectangular thing that Monokuma hastily shoved into the bathroom cabinets for every female resident, and presents it graciously to the Aikido Master. Tenko had to give the redhead credit, because it was probably the most tame she’s seen her hair in a long time. The braid was dainty and neat, perfectly pinning the right side of her hair back. She had forgotten how straight her hair actually was, because the knots would always curl and tangle it. 

“Thank you!!” Tenko smiles, eyes twinkling, “It’s lovely.”

“No problem… Your tangled hair was no match for the Ultimate Mage…” Himiko quips, snapping the pocket mirror closed.

There’s a beat of silence. Himiko pats her sides in an unconscious rhythm. 

“Give me a second…” She hums, eyes wandering in thought, “...I’m gonna give you the gift but I need to think of what to say first….” She cheekily looks upwards for a second, “A _monologue_ , if you will.”

“Oh!!” Tenko blinks. She had completely forgotten that the mage _also_ had something to give her. It must be pretty small, because she couldn’t see it anywhere in her pockets. Or maybe it was hidden in her witch hat!!!! If Himiko pulled out a bunny from her hat, Tenko would _die._ Not really. Only figuratively, “Should I also think of a monologue??”

“Go ahead,” The mage chuckles. The pair zip their lips dramatically, dorkily writing internal dialogue and snickering at the ongoing silence.

“Alright, I’m ready!!” Tenko says after a solid minute of holding back laughter.

Himiko snorts and then gestures outwards, “You first then.”

“Get ready for this,” The Aikido Master prepares, over exaggerating some long stretches, “I am going to blow you away with my words.”

“Bold of you to assume you can defeat me. I got an _A_ in my Drama class,” Himiko smirks back.

“Not fair!! I didn’t go to school!” Tenko snickers and dramatically holds both of the mage’s hands, causing the redhead to break into another fit of laughter, “Himiko Yumeno! You are--”

“Hold on a second. You’re too tall,” Himiko shuffles over to the bed, still holding both of Tenko’s hands, and hastily steps upwards. With her new added height, the mage was eye-level with the Aikido Master’s forehead, “Alright, continue.”

Tenko clears her throat before repeating, “Himiko Yumeno. Thou hast changed me,” At the mage’s snicker she quickly drops the Shakesperian dialect, “But I just wanted to say thank you before the negotiation. Because I know I’m a lot to handle sometimes!! I’m loud and weird and feel things very strongly!! But you have been incredibly patient with me even when I was super clingy and annoying before so thank you!!” Feeling a little awkward and slightly nervous, she begins swinging Himiko’s arms from left and right, “A-And I really hope we stay good friends when we leave!!”

“Of course!” Himiko agrees, voice wavering with nerves. Tenko couldn’t understand why she was so anxious. Did the brunette say something wrong? Oh jeez, she’s ALREADY said something wrong, “Okay, um… I guess what _I_ want to say is… Don’t make fun of me, I know I said I was good at this but I’m all nervous--”

“It’s okay!! Really,” Tenko says.

“--Okay. Alright, well, thank you. As well. I’m kinda awful at expressing all of this sappy emotional stuff but… Um…” As Himiko struggled to find words, Tenko obliviously swung their arms with a dorky smile, “I really just… appreciate everything you’ve helped me through. This killing game has been absolutely awful… and a lot of the time it was really hard for me to keep going… but you were always there to support me. In ways you don’t even know. So that’s why I wanted to tell you... Before the negotiation started...”

Her voice drifts before she is able to complete the thought. There was obviously something else she was going to say, something else on the tip of her tongue, which quickly caught in her throat. Tenko didn’t catch any subtle hints, did not acknowledge how red Himiko’s cheeks had gotten.

“...Have you finished…?” The Aikido Master whispers after a minute of silence passes.

The mage blinks, suddenly aware of where she was again, “Yep!! Gift time!”

Tenko releases her hands, patting the flower behind her back, “Yes! Um-- Am I going fir--”

“Nope!! Same time,” Himiko quickly interrupts. 

_Same time?? I mean, okay??_ Tenko dialogues internally. It made sense to present the gifts at the same time, just so one wouldn’t seem more significant than the other. Still, the Aikido Master wasn’t sure why Himiko was so nervous about this. Tenko was a little jumpy about giving her the flower, even though it was most certainly crushed at this point and its meaning was buried in deep, obscure symbolism based on a series of memories that only the Aikido Master knows about. But Himiko was anxious, as in _shaking_ anxious. 

“Are you alright?” Tenko tries to ask, rubbing the mage’s arms. Maybe she was cold? It wasn’t necessarily _warm_ in here.

“Don’t talk about it or I’m gonna psyche myself out!!” Himiko replies, her smile jittery, “Okay, are we counting down?”

“Yeah, sure!!”

Tenko grabs the flower out of her belt and holds it behind her back. Yep, definitely crushed. She didn’t even have to look behind her to know that. Tenko raises her eyebrow slightly once she realizes Himiko wasn’t grabbing anything, her hands empty at her sides.

“Alright!” Tenko grasps the spider lily behind her back, growing more excited by the second, “Three… Two--”

“One.” Himiko finishes with sudden, abrupt certainty. 

Without another word, the mage grabs Tenko’s face and smashes her lips into hers. And the Aikido Master _blacks out._

She is in so much shock that even _after_ Himiko lets go she’s frozen. Just absolutely flabbergasted. Tenko gets kissed by _one_ girl and it renders her entirely motionless. She stares at the redhead with wide, unblinking eyes and her jaw on the floor. Is she even breathing? Holy shit??? _Holy shit??????_

“ _HUH???_ ” Tenko squawks as soon as she comes back to her senses. 

At one point before her body had gone completely numb, she had pulled the flower out from behind her back, which was now being held stiffly in between the two. Himiko notices the spider lily in between them and quickly comes to realize that Tenko did not in fact have any underlying motives when she wanted to give her a gift.

“Oh--- Oh my _god_ \---” The mage stutters, holding her cheeks in her hands as they grow furiously heated and bright red. They’re basically the same color as her hair at this point, “I--I thought you!! I thought you were--- _I am so sorry---_ ”

“No!” Tenko attempts to console, waving her hands frantically over Himiko’s embarrassed floundering, “No! No no-- It’s--”

Before she could even think about what she was doing, she leans in and kisses her again. This time, she _doesn’t_ black out immediately. 

The butterflies swirl in Tenko’s stomach, the nerves of the negotiation evaporating almost instantly and fading into thin air. Was this happening? Was she dreaming? Maybe all of the sleep deprivation finally caught up to her, and now she was dreaming in the middle of the day. It’s so shocking and fantasy-like that the Aikido Master begins giggling, and sooner or later both girls have broken off again just to break into hyper, love-struck laughter. Tenko embraces the smaller girl, picking her up off of the bed and spinning her around the dorm. 

_Oh my god?? Oh my god oh my god??????????????? OH MY GOD????_

She’s so happy she could cry. She’s so joyful, so buoyant and euphoric that she feels like a kid again. Like the killing game never even happened. Like the future was infinite and unending, like nothing could ever cut it short. This was everything she’s ever wanted. She had never, _never_ thought that Himiko could possibly like her back. Had pushed that possibility so far out of her mind that a kiss was the _last_ thing the Aikido Master was expecting from this early morning rendezvous. 

“I’m going to pass out,” Tenko mumbles into Himiko’s shoulder, receiving a playful snort in response.

“Don’t, we still have a negotiation,” The mage reminds her, wrapping her legs around the Aikido Master’s waist, “People might be a little worried about where we are…”

“Oh, right, we live with other people,” Tenko remembers, “And the negotiation! That is happening!”

“It is! Shall we march onwards?”

Tenko turns to her left to discover that Himiko had in fact grabbed the spider lily at one point. She fumbles with the flower before tucking it daintily in her front pocket.

The Aikido Master begins skipping towards the exit, with the tiny mage still hanging on for dear life, “Onwards!!”

It hasn’t hit Tenko yet. The severity of the final trial has just completely flown out the window, replaced by this child-like wonder and complete giddiness. As the pair descend down the stairs, giggling the entire way down, completely speechless and at loss for words, Tenko just couldn’t be more oblivious to her surroundings. It’s probably the most carefree she’s been since the game started, which said a lot considering this was perhaps the most stressful day of her entire life.

“Where is the kitchen again?” Tenko asks, “I’m pretty sure my brain has shut down.”

“There is way too much happening!!” Himiko agrees with the same giddiness, “I am very sorry!!”

“It is okay!!” The Aikido Master laughs back, eventually stumbling her way out of the dormitory. 

Was this confession the best thing to do before a life-changing negotiation? Probably not. On one hand, it was good to throw everything out on the table since nobody can be entirely certain what exactly the future holds, but on the other hand there was absolutely no possible way this trial was going to run smoothly with how distracted Tenko is inevitably going to be. Feeling _happy_ felt incorrect in such an unsightly situation, but the Aikido Master just couldn’t help it. She was _happy._ She could confidently and without shame say she was _happy_. Even if there was slight possibility of death and injury around every corner, even if there was such uncertainty in the near future that it usually made Tenko dizzy. 

Tenko was _happy_ for now. 

“Are you still okay to go through those breathing exercises?” Himiko requests, “I mean-- For the class?”

Oh, her classmates were absolutely going to hate her during this trial. If Tenko couldn’t get her head out of the clouds, there was no way they were moving forward.

“Whatever you say, my flower!” Tenko replies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright thats it NO MORE fluff. from now on it is PAIN and PAIN ONLY


	35. (at last, at last, at long last)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a brief class meeting, the descent into the trial grounds. consequences begin to show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's time to get funkay

“Inhale!”

The class collectively breathe in, their chests rising in unison.

“...And exhale.”

A heavy sigh is emitted from the group as they breathe out, deflating in synchronization. 

The time was 8:45 AM, about fifteen minutes until the beginning of the negotiation. Many of Tenko’s classmates had met in the kitchen in their pajamas, not wishing to change into their prescripted attire until after they had choked down some food. But considering how nobody was eating anything, that might take a little longer than they originally guessed. The nerves have fully hit the class now, and even after Himiko had wrangled them all back after changing to do some breathing exercises they still seemed distressed. They currently sat in the grass, outside in the courtyard, with their hands placed limply over their knees. Tenko leads the breathing exercises. 

“Inhale…” 

Everybody was there, in some kind of silent support. Even _Kokichi_ was there. And he wasn’t being a complete ass. The Monokubs had given him a uniform, a double-breasted white suit with dark bronze buttons. The suit was paired with black dress shoes, an officer visor cap the color of murky coal, and this almost ridiculous looking dark grey cape with a wrap-around collar. Littered across the chest of his suit were a series of pins, one of which looked oddly like the flag of Russia.

He has himself curled in the cape, his eyelids squeezed shut despite Tenko never telling any of them they needed to close their eyes. Himiko was the one to find him again and drag him to do some breathing exercises, and apparently he wasn’t all that talkative. Tenko wouldn’t bring up the killing game readthrough if he stayed quiet about it.

“Exhale…”

Maki and Kaito were being incredibly punctual today. They woke up at six in the morning exactly, ate breakfast in their pajamas for twenty minutes, and then immediately returned to their dorms to change. After switching uniforms they sat in the kitchen for two hours and reviewed evidence. 

The Ultimate Assassin looked exactly like her Ultimate title imposed: an assassin. The outfit started with a loose-fitting red sweater tucked into black, high-waisted cargo pants. Some triangular, almost threatening logo was embroidered on the right front of her sweater, an organization that Tenko had never heard of before. Underneath the sweater, a black turtleneck scarf that currently sat around her neck but usually was covering her mouth and nose. For the final touches, some calf-high black combat boots and a dark, wide-hooded cloak. Her hair has been wrangled back into two low ponytails, tied with her signature red scrunchies. 

The Ultimate Astronaut is in a uniform that Tenko could only assume was for his line of work: a navy blue formal jumpsuit buttoned up over a light grey t-shirt. Paired with his black boots, multiple pins littered across his chest to commemorate achievements that the Aikido Master just wasn’t aware existed. His purple hair was gelled, as usual. The sense of formality was comforting, in a way. Sometimes when he inhaled he’d try to stifle a chesty cough, but it ends up looking ridiculous. So nothing too out of the ordinary. 

“Inhale…”

Shuichi had been the last person to arrive in the dining hall, apologizing profusely. He had slept through his alarm, and woken up half an hour after the assigned wake-up time. It seems all of the crying from the previous night had completely wiped him out. 

To make up for lost time, the detective had changed into his final attire immediately. It was a formal police uniform, dark blue with gold accents and a series of badges and tiny medals across his chest. He looked rejuvenated this morning, despite his regretful entrance as he apologized for being tardy, his eyes a little brighter. Despite clearly being nervous, just like the rest of them, he was excited. He was hopeful. And he was incredibly helpful with reciting the evidence and discrepancies found with Kaito and Maki.

“...And exhale...”

Kaito had acquired K1-B0 at 7:00 AM, after a brief group discussion about what they should do with the Ultimate Robot. The initial anger about K1-B0 releasing Tsumugi had simmered, replaced by the nerves of this final negotiation, so the decision-making was certainly less harsh than it could have been. Once the robot got to the dining hall, all they did was apologize. They still couldn’t remember what they did. They still couldn’t remember _why_ they did that.

And they still couldn’t remember anything about trying to kill Tsumugi. All Tenko could do was bite her tongue to keep the near assassination attempt to herself. 

K1-B0 had been pretty disappointed upon seeing that everybody had been given these epic final outfits to wear when they had been given nothing. The Ultimate Robot now sat in solidarity with the team, not necessarily _needing_ to do any breathing exercises, still lost in deep thought. 

“...Inhale…”

Tenko and Himiko have not disconnected, and everybody was catching on. Even though the rest of the group were sitting with their legs crossed and their hands resting limply on their knees, the blue and red pair were practically entwined, dorkily smiling and getting distracted easily. The Ultimate Mage sat with her chin on Tenko’s shoulder and her arms wrapped around her waist, shutting her eyes and pretending to be asleep whenever another classmate would look over at them making googly-eyes at each other.

“And exhale…” Tenko claps once to signal the end of the exercise, snapping Kokichi sharply out of his daydream, “Alright! How are we all feeling? Looking good? Feeling good?”

“You’re oddly chipper…” Kaito comments, rubbing at his eyes. The breathing exercise undoubtedly made him sleepy. 

“I’m just excited!!” Tenko replies, “Why shouldn’t I be, right? We’re getting a chance to leave this place for good!”

Himiko nods from next to her, and the pair smile at each other dorkily. Tenko seriously needed to snap back to reality, but it was currently was very hard for her, an easily distracted lesbian, to look past the event which had JUST transpired. The class stare at them with suspicious expressions. 

“...Did you two make out.” Maki deadpans, eyes squinted. 

“Wh-- No!” Tenko flusters as Himiko quickly averts her head so they couldn’t see her blushing, “It-- We, uh-- Did _you_?? Make out?? We---”

“Let’s move past their relationship for now,” Shuichi very graciously saves Tenko from any further stammering as well as Kokichi, who was just about to open his mouth and say something crass, “The first question was good. How _is_ everybody feeling?”

“Peachy keen, Shuboy!” The Ultimate Supreme Leader answers, waving his cape like they were wings, “If we all work together, we’ll be able to get out of here, for sure!!”

“I don’t appreciate how _insincere_ that was, but yeah!! I’ve got complete confidence in us!” Kaito agrees, flashing his signature grin and thumbs up, “And Shuichi’s got us all covered, right, sidekick?”

“This isn’t just Shuichi’s fight. We’re _all_ gonna do our best!!” Tenko quickly interrupts. The detective flashes a grateful smile her way, “....Even the boys.”

“Growth,” Kaito acknowledges with a proud smile, which the Aikido Master scrunches her nose at.

“Well, I’ve been pretty nervous!” Himiko answers, “To take my mind off of it, I’ve been going through a checklist of things I wanted to do before negotiation! I did some journaling, I cooked my own breakfast this morning…”

“... You made out with Tenko…” Maki completes bluntly.

“That’s great, Himiko! Really great. Anybody else?” Shuichi asks the crew before Himiko could stammer anything back. 

“I have never been so devastated,” Kokichi pouts, bottom lip wobbling, “This killing game was so _fun…._ And now it’s gonna be _over_ …?”

Shuichi spares a sarcastic look shared by the rest of the class, and then finishes with, “...Okay, sharing time over.”

“Aw, booo!” The supreme leader complains. 

“Anyone got the time?” Kaito asks. 

K1-B0 moves, for the first time in twenty minutes, to grab their monopod and tap on it, “It is currently 8:47 AM.”

“...We should get moving, then.”

Despite the Ultimate Astronaut clearly calling for the group to begin their descent to the trial grounds, no member stands or makes any motion to leave the circle. They just sat there. Silently, without words or smiles or any passive glances. The class stare outwards, at other people, at the green grass, at the sky above them. It was perhaps the last time they would ever see these rather mundane things, perhaps the last time they would ever see the school they had become so accustomed to. When you stay in one place for so long, you adapt. In a way, Tenko would miss her dorm. She’s not going to miss the killing game, she would _never_ miss the killing game, but she would feel slight nostalgia over the academy she called home for quite some time now. 

The same academy that served as a graveyard for eight of her classmates. The same academy that would forever be haunted with innocent, tormented, adolescent souls. Staying here any longer would drive her mad.

“What happens if we don’t win?” She finds herself whispering. It felt like more of a rhetorical question, like something she was asking herself, however all of her classmates turn towards her. They had heard, “What-- What do we do if we lose?”

“How _would_ we even lose?” Himiko asks with the same low volume, “How much power do they even have? What could they do to us?”

The class returns to silence. No one had the answer.

After a moment had passed, a moment of deep contemplation, Kaito answers rather unseriously with, “If we lose, I say we torch the place.”

“I meant seriously,” Tenko sighs in disappointment.

“No, I think it’s pretty serious,” Maki nods, lips pressed into a thin line, “...I can run and grab some stuff for a molotov cocktail.”

“Are you implying that we destroy the academy if we lose? ...What would we do then?” Shuichi inquires, curiously yet darkly at the same time, “...Do we go down with it?”

Once more, nobody has an answer. Tenko hadn’t really thought about taking her own life if anything were to go wrong with this final trial. It seemed like the more dignified way out, especially considering how nobody knew the amount of power these people held over them. If the killing game was any example, then there was no way their punishment would be swift and peaceful. At least through taking down the entire academy, and themselves with it, they had control over how they died. Honestly, Tenko could be okay with that. She could be okay with going down with the killing game, as long as the game was over for everybody.

“I-- I have actually been meaning to talk to you all about that,” K1-B0 speaks up, rapping their fingers against their knee, “I’ve had the idea for a while now… About destroying this academy. If I were to activate my self destruct at the same time that I fly into the barrier, I should be able to take down the entire academy. However, this destruction will be immense. Your chance of survival will be incredibly low,” They stare down at the floor, grimly, “I can only do this if everybody agrees on it as a Plan B.”

“...As a last resort,” Shuichi echoes, glancing over the class for approval.

Nobody seemed opposed to it. It was a dark subject, a mass suicide if they couldn’t take down the Director. But nobody seemed to be that disgusted by the thought. 

“...Can we figure out what it means to ‘lose’, and then talk about this again?” Himiko squeaks at Tenko’s side, “I don’t want to… think about that right now.”

“Yeah, guys. Let’s keep our head up for now, okay?” Kaito encourages. He begins to stand up from the grass, gesturing those around him up with him, “Come on-- Group huddle!”

“No,” Maki immediately disproves as the rest of the class move to stand.

“Come on, Makiroll! Just this once!”

The Ultimate Assassin notices how the rest of her class has already huddled into a circle, with Tenko and Kaito leaving a small gap for her to stand. With a heavy sigh she moves off of the ground, filling the gap but not placing her arms around them like everybody else was doing. She instead had her arms folded over her chest, moved as far inwards as possible without her shoulders touching any of her classmates. 

“Alright. We’ve come this far already, so we can’t back down now!” Kaito begins, beaming with the confidence Tenko wished she had, “We’ve got one shot at this, so we all need to do our best. It’s now, or it’s never.”

It’s now, or it’s never. The phrase bounced in Tenko’s head. She needs to fight, tooth and nail for their freedom. They’ve been given an opportunity, however suspicious and fleeting, to make that happen. To finally free themselves, or at least to find a compromise. 

“...Let’s do it for them,” Shuichi suggests, “For everybody we’ve lost. We’ll fight for them.”

It was a noble thing to fight for. For those who didn’t receive the same chance. For those doomed to die from the very beginning: Rantaro, Kaede, Ryoma, Kirumi, Angie, Korekiyo, Miu, and then Gonta. The teenagers who fought alongside them, even if they didn’t know what they were fighting for just yet. Those who they lost in the battle, lost to the killing game. Tenko would fight for the dead and the living. That was what she had always done, had always fought for those without a voice. Even though that usually meant defenseless women, she could switch it up for the present. She can use her own voice to fight for those who had lost theirs to the killing game.

And of course, she will fight for Himiko. She’ll fight for more last-minute haircuts and card games she will never win because her opponent can guess what card you have in your hand with relative ease. She will fight for breakfast dates and late night conversations and new memories with her. Tenko wants to experience a future with her. She wants to get out to the other side. 

Without needing any verbal implication, the class begins to huddle closer until they’ve reached a large group hug. Himiko has to stand on her toes to reach Shuichi’s and Tenko’s shoulders. Kokichi wasn’t being flippant like he usually was, instead accepting the hug between Shuichi and Kaito. Even Maki, as reclusive as she is, very slowly begins to raise her arms so they were faintly touching Kaito and Tenko’s back. The astronaut immediately receives the confirmation and includes her in the hug while Tenko hesitantly places her arm around her in response.

“We’ll be okay,” Shuichi says. It’s muffled, but still heard, “...We’ll be okay.”

Tenko believed him. Honestly. When he said it, it sounded true. Maybe they will be okay. Maybe, just maybe, they could do this.

A beat of silence passes. It’s 8:51. Nobody makes any movement to descend to the courtroom. The Aikido Master appreciated the moment of silence with her group. This was a team of Ultimates, of capable teenagers who were going to fight with everything they had to escape, to find freedom. Tenko trusted them. She knew they could be silly at times, and other times downright cruel (Kokichi), but she knew they were sophisticated. She knew that they--

“...Whose hand is on my ass,” Kaito demands bluntly.

“That’s my bad,” Kokichi replies.

The class separates with an assortment of annoyed groans.

-=+=-

The class glides silently to the elevator. 

As Kaito had mentioned previously, there were “guards” to escort them into the courtroom: hollow Monokubs who told them to “hurry up” before shutting up entirely and walking them to a location they were already incredibly aware of. Having these robotic bears escort them to the elevator just felt like overkill, however unnerving. 

They pile in. Shuichi and Kokichi have been talking the whole way there, some lighthearted banter before the final trial. Himiko was chatting with Kaito and Maki, her left hand intertwined with Tenko’s right. The Ultimate Assassin, as well as Tenko, had both agreed to pull their own differing face masks over their noses, just in case the Director was looking for that. K1-B0 was hunched in the right corner, quiet and contemplative. 

The door begins to slowly close, cracking the whole way there, before a rather quiet call exclaimed out towards them.

“Hold the door?”

Tenko looks up as a hand pauses the elevator doors before it could shut completely. It’s Tsumugi.

It doesn’t seem as if her final outfit changed that much. In fact, it’s likely she wasn’t given any new clothing besides a blazer, to which there was no evidence that she didn’t just have this article with her previously. The jacket was jet black, a stark contrast to her usual blue color scheme, with a triangular swallow-tail that fell over the back of her dress skirt. On her right lapel was a red, ominous logo. Her blue hair has been plaited into two twin french braids, tied neatly with crimson ribbons. The ribbon around her neck was now also now crimson color, matching the logo on her blazer. She’s found another pair of glasses.

Immediately, Maki lunges.

“Woah!” Kaito halts, moving his arm in front of her before the assassin did anything too harsh, “Makiroll, let’s be a little--”

“What are _you_ doing here?” The assassin demands.

Tsumugi practically ignores her, drifting silently into the top left corner. It was the closest position to the Aikido Master, and the furthest away she could possibly get from K1-B0. The elevator finally closes, sealing the cosplayer inside with the group. 

“Did you hear me?” Maki further questions, her red eyes glowering, “I asked what the hell you were doing here.”

“I’m only doing my part,” The bluenette replies, vague and rather unhelpful. 

Before she could finish her sentence, the assassin had continued her ruthless interrogation, “Where the fuck have you been? We looked _everywhere_ , why didn’t anyone find you?”

“Hm?” Tsumugi chirps innocently, head tilting to the side with false naivety, “Oh, don’t be so hard on yourselves! Tenko found me! She just let me go.”

The Aikido Master could _feel_ the death glares she’s receiving behind her back. She looked straight forward, eyes wide and avoiding anybody else’s gaze. The silence was deafening.

“...Thanks,” Tenko grits through her teeth. The cosplayer shrugs, the attention diverted, and leans against the wall casually. 

“What the _hell_ , Tenko? First K1-B0 pulls this shit, and now _you?_ ” Maki challenges. She is the loudest voice over the sudden onslaught of questions from her peers.

Tenko purses her lips in deep regret, hands displayed in surrender, “I’m really sorry, but I just thought--”

“What? What did you think would happen!?” The assassin snaps, her stance strengthening as she clenches her fists. The Aikido Master notices immediately. 

“Are we fighting?” Tenko asks worriedly, her stance also moving into a fighting position of her own, “Right now?? In the elevator?? Because I’ve got _pants_ on now--!!”

“No! No fighting!” Himiko intervenes, extending her arms so they distance the two girls. 

Shuichi also steps forward, glancing back and forth between the Aikido Master and the assassin, “Himiko’s right, guys. This is _not_ the time.”

Assessing the situation at hand, the Ultimate Detective was definitely right. They were just moments away from the final negotiation. They were also confined in a tiny box filled with every other classmate that would certainly be afflicted by Maki and Tenko’s wrath if they were to engage in physical fighting. What was that quote? When the elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers?

“I’m so sorry,” Tenko blurts in some desperate attempt to resolve the conflict before the final trial begins. She doesn’t need Maki being pissed at her when they had to work together in order to fight a common enemy, “She-- She told me that--”

“Told you _what_?”

The Aikido Master clamps her mouth closed. The elevator immediately silences, watching Tenko intently with patient yet demanding eyes. Her glances towards the Ultimate Robot did not go unnoticed, no matter how quickly she would revert her gaze.

“Uh-- That K1-B0 tried to kill her.”

The attention snaps towards the robot so quickly it gives Tenko whiplash. K1-B0 stammers, obviously having zero clue what the Aikido Master was implying, their mouth dropped open. They stare at Tenko, then at Tsumugi, then at the floor and the ceiling. Shuichi closes his eyes for a long second, inhaling the information and allowing it to pass before he made his final verdict.

“K1-B0,” He starts, eyes still closed, “Is this true?”

“I-- I’ve already-- I don’t know,” They reply.

“Then we’ll disregard it for now,” Shuichi’s eyes open. He’s already so preoccupied with this upcoming trial that this added stress certainly was not helping, “This isn’t our main priority and we have no evidence that Tsumugi is telling the truth.”

The cosplayer says nothing on the matter, only stares blankly at the elevator doors. It only gives Tenko the creeping suspicion that perhaps Tsumugi _was_ lying to her. And ouch. To take advantage of her compassion like that? Even Himiko must have caught on, because she huffs through her nose and turns righteously away from the cosplayer, her hand still intertwined with Tenko’s. At least she wasn’t angry with the Aikido Master.

Kaito flashes Maki a fleeting look, which the assassin responds negatively to before she murmurs a sincere, “Sorry. Tenko.”

“Oh-- Erm, it’s okay!! Really. I’m… again, really sorry,” The Aikido Master responds, broadening the statement so it reached the entire class. The group nods. Tsumugi didn’t exactly seem entirely harmful, and even if she _did_ try something she was just inches away from both the Ultimate Aikido Master and the Ultimate Assassin.

K1-B0’s eyes were wider than Tenko has ever seen. They were extremely distressed. 

The elevator returns to an even tenser silence. The crew was separating themselves from Tsumugi, very slowly creeping away from the cosplayer until there was a considerable amount of distance between them and her. Already, the Aikido Master was deeply regretting allowing Tsumugi to run free.

The elevator sputters and rattles, trembling softly as the group strengthen their stances to regain their balance. Hopefully it doesn’t collapse. It was definitely more rickety than usual. 

Thankfully, the doors wizz open.

“Jesus…” Kaito whistles. 

The trial grounds had been renovated. The first, most noticeable change had to have been the ominous, menacing red-orange light emerging from the stained glass above them. It’s a completely different sky from what they had just seen, a stark contrast from the beautiful, baby blue skies above them while they completed their breathing exercises. The sky in this courtroom was murky, deadly and crimson. It sent shivers down Tenko’s spine, made her not want to look up.

The podiums have been moved from a conversation-friendly circle to a debatable semi-circle, eight empty podiums curved inwards. The remaining podiums, those with black and white portraits of the deceased, have been moved to the opposite end of the room and sit behind a massive, towering flatscreen. The screen itself took over Monokuma’s throne, covering the location where the teddy bear was supposed to be and leaving absolutely no room for any of the Monokubs either. Surrounding the main flatscreen were various other screens, attached to the walls in varying sizes. Currently, as the high schoolers filed into the courtroom, every screen was left powered off. Tenko could see everybody in their reflections. The entire group was staring at the screens with bewildered eyes.

Each podium held a name. They had been assigned new locations, placed in specific positions. Tenko’s podium sat in between Himiko, who resided to her left, and Tsumugi, who was to her right and at the very end of the semi-circle. To the left of Himiko was Shuichi, followed by Maki, Kaito, Kokichi, and then K1-B0. The order didn’t necessarily show any pattern, however they were most certainly trying to keep Shuichi in the center.

The classmates begin to patter towards their own podiums, removing monofiles and monopads from their person as well as certain accessories. Himiko gives Tenko one last encouraging hug, wishes her a tiny good luck, and then shuffles to her podium. Maki, noticing how nobody was in the courtroom with them, immediately removed her cloak and shoved it underneath her podium’s desk. Tenko removes her mask and shoves it into a corner. Kokichi valiantly takes off his cap and throws it across the courtroom as if it was a discus. 

Tenko can feel her heart pounding in her ears. All the class could do was stare at the screen, which they could only assume was supposed to turn on eventually. Which it does.

The main flatscreen flashes on so violently that everyone recoils harshly. ‘ **PLEASE HOLD’** , it reads. A pixelated animation of Monokuma danced below it, as well as the occasional avatar of her classmates. Kokichi begins to dance along with it, but is promptly scolded by Maki. 

After a few seconds of waiting, the video call begins. 

Before anybody entered the screen, it was quiet. Empty. The screen previewed a still image of a vacant conference room, pointing directly at the large work chair at the end of the table. A muffled conversation was taking place off camera, alluding to the class that there was more than one person present in the room. Before long, a man enters into view.

 _Haha!_ Tenko monologues internally, rather flippantly, _It_ **_wasn’t_ ** _a girl after all, Kokichi!!_

The Director isn’t wearing a suit, like Tenko had assumed he would be wearing, instead he wore a black graphic tee and a dark grey hoodie. It was a casual juxtaposition to the flamboyant, incredibly formal costumes that he’s put the class in. It made the Aikido Master feel a little silly for only the briefest of moments, before she realized that he was the minority here.

He scans over the room from behind the video call. His eyes lock briefly on Tsumugi, a faint ghost of a negative emotion twitching through his expression, before he quickly recovers. Considering how she _had_ a podium, it’s clear they were aware that the mastermind would in fact be attending the negotiation. However, if his facial expression had told Tenko anything, the Director did not _want_ her to be there. Which only leads the Aikido Master to wonder if what Tsumugi had said was, in fact, the truth. 

The Director ruffles his dark hair with a slight red tinge, tapping a few documents together and commencing with, “Alright. Are we all ready to start?”

He seemed friendly. Way too friendly. It unnerved Tenko.

Shuichi blanks at first, startled by the amicable first impression, but soon hardens his demeanor once more, “Yes. I’m assuming that we’re beginning with initial demands?”

“That we are,” The Director hums, a fond smile curling his lips, “Would you like to begin?” 

The Ultimate Detective flashes a pensive grimace to his classmates before he answers, serious and unwavering, “We demand to be freed from this killing game. As personal merit does not appear to be a driving factor for you, we instead would like to argue our freedom based on the discrepancies found within your game.”

The Director nods, smile still present, “Well done! Lovely first effort.”

Shuichi scrunches his eyebrows, hesitantly mouthing a confused, “Thank… you…?”

“You might find our demands quite different, but I’m sure we will be able to find a compromise,” The Director simpers, eyeing a few confidants from offscreen, “In response to your demand, we are requesting that the killing game continue with the intended final cast. We have the machinery to rewind the game to its intended point. The final cast will be granted freedom.”

The demand stops there. The implications simmer in Tenko’s stomach, swirling and forming a deep pit in her gut. 

Shuichi takes a deep breath, now fully past this friendly facade the Director had played, “...That’s myself, Maki, K1-B0, and Himiko. Are you implying that we willingly part with _four_ of our classmates to do this?”

“Yes,” The Director confirms, way too softly for such a hideous and horrifying situation, “Obviously this does not sit well with you. Shall we begin the negotiation?”

 _Of course_ it doesn’t sit well with them!! This was the _first_ demand being made. They had _just_ started the negotiation, and already the Director was requesting for the deaths of _four_ people, including Tenko herself. Shuichi had asked for freedom and freedom only, with no unnecessary sacrifices. Was that already proving to be an outlandish request? Was this negotiation truly impossible to complete without _somebody’s_ blood being spilled? 

The screen on Tenko’s podium blinks on. It’s bordered by a glowering red light, illuminating her face with its harsh glare. She sneaks glances at her classmates, noticing a rather distinct pattern. The only other classmates with this harsh red light were Kaito, Kokichi, and Tsumugi. Those who were never supposed to survive. The remaining students were basking in a harmless, calming blue light, with no threat of death concerning them.

 _It was always going to be like this,_ Tenko has to remind herself. Her pre-written death. The real challenge came from how quickly she was able to recover from this hindrance. She won’t let this be her fate. She won’t let it be the deciding factor in whether or not she was supposed to die.

“We’re ready,” Shuichi replies. He is certain, confident and self-assured, “We’ll begin with the first discrepancy.”

Tenko allows herself to inhale. The negotiation has truly started.


	36. how many will there be by dawn?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trial part 1. hm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> notes:
> 
> 1) I FORGOT THE LETTER LMAOOOOO pretend tenko took it...... it's in her back pocket ;)
> 
> 2) the podiums are arranged in this order, from left to right: keebo, kokichi, kaito, maki, shuichi, himiko, tenko, tsumugi
> 
> thank you for reading!! i hope you enjoy :DD

_“Ey! Tenko!”_

_At the chipper yet blunt call,_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _finds herself visibly twitching. For some reason, the redhead from the auditions had tracked her down, running straight towards her with a folded paper in her grubby hands. ‘Himiko’ arrived in her casual clothing, mom jeans with a baggy red turtleneck and an oversized brown jacket that probably belonged to her dad. Her matted, untied hair blew in the overbearing wind, making her appear even more crazy and unprofessional. Despite going to a private school and being from a pricy, elite area of the city, she looked borderline homeless._

_The brunette blanches, mouth hanging open as she quickly glanced around her in case any of her classmates noticed this small teenager screaming wildly at her. Fortunately (or was it unfortunately? Less protection), most of her peers had left after rehearsal._

_“I-It’s_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _,” The brunette corrects coldly, adjusting her duffel bag over her shoulder, “And I thought I told you to leave me alone.”_

_“You did, I just chose to ignore you,” The redhead returns, before very rudely shoving the paper she had acquired into the taller girl’s face, “Look at this! Look at this shit!”_

_“Could you be quiet?”_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _pleads, hiding her face away from the duo of students who walked out of the studio with merciless snickers pointed at her, “You’re embarrassing me.”_

_She didn’t need her dance friends seeing this random stranger yelling at her. ‘Tenko’ didn’t even know her name. She asked after the auditions were over, but ‘Himiko’ had snappily told her that the only names they needed to know were their character names. It disconnected them._

_“Oh, who cares about them? Read it!” The redhead orders._

_With a heavy sigh, the brunette accepts the paper and swipes her hair out of her eyes to read it. It was a formal letter, typed with such a boring font that ‘Tenko’ found it difficult to focus._

**_Congratulations,_ ** _it reads in small lettering,_ **_your audition was successful, and we wish to see more of your character. Please take heed of the following notes regarding your character and elaborate further in the next audition._ **

_“Just got it in the mail,” ‘Himiko’ pants, her grin wide and frenzied, “Came in today. Right now.”_

_The taller girl scrunches her nose in disdain. Did the redhead really run all the way over here just to brag about getting into the next stage of auditions?_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _had already convinced herself that she would never make it in, and wasn’t expecting a letter once she got home. Her audition sucked ass; She was nervous and annoying and unfocused and obnoxious. They asked her questions and she answered shortly, honest in certain areas but vague in others. To add to her failure, and even further rub it in, the kid right after her was impressive as hell. Tall, beautiful, regal and well-kept despite her maid cafe uniform. A perfect example of a perfect candidate, who stepped in to audition straight after the bar was so brilliantly lowered by_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _._

 _Real lovely of ‘Himiko’ to violate her privacy, tracking down where she took dance classes_ just _to bloat about her success when ‘Tenko’ would certainly have none._

_“Th-That’s so great. Thank you for showing me,” The brunette replies sarcastically, “Now you’ll excuse me. I have to go or I’ll miss my bus.”_

_“_ No _, you idiot, look closer!”_

_“You are way too excited about thi--”_

_“Of course I’m excited!!_ Look! _”_

_‘Himiko’ rips the paper straight from her hands and taps repeatedly at a specific bullet point._

**_Develop the relationship with Tenko Chabashira further._ **

_“They want_ both _of us,” The redhead huffs, finally recovered from her sprint. She elatedly slaps ‘Tenko’ in the shoulder, causing the taller girl to recoil, “I fucking told you it would work!”_

 _The brunette finds a disobedient smile creeping up on her, and suddenly they’re both jumping around in complete glee. Her classmates stare and giggle, but_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _just couldn’t be bothered to hide. The next stage of auditions. It just felt so surreal. Even after she had done so awfully? Was that even fair to the other auditionees?_

_The redhead notices some lingering dancers who were glaring at the pair, and very rudely raises the letter and waves it at them with a frivolous, “We’re going to be in Danganronpa! Suck it, losers!”_

_The brunette’s classmates scamper off, wide-eyed and muttering amongst themselves. ‘Tenko’ will have to explain later._

_“Don’t say that yet, w-we haven’t even made it past the second audition!”_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _stammers._

_‘Himiko’ scoffs, tucking the letter into one of her ginormous pockets. Now that she was up close, ‘Tenko’ could very clearly see it’s tiny black and brown checkering. A work jacket. Definitely her dad’s, “You’re welcome, by the way.”_

_There’s a pause in the conversation. Was the brunette supposed to thank her? The smaller girl was pushy, blunt and quite cold, but_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _did owe her. Still, thanking her felt uncomfortable. And rather embarrassing. They hadn’t even made it past the second audition._

 _“Yeah,”_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _disregards. The redhead rolls her eyes, instantly making ‘Tenko’ feel awful, “Uh, when is it?”_

_“Two months. 24th of October.”_

_The brunette grimaces, “Oh, I-- My recital’s on that day--”_

_“Cancel it,” The redhead said immediately, “This is more important.”_

_“...But can’t I just reschedule the audition to another day--”_

_“Well,_ I _can’t reschedule. And you’re coming with me on October 24th, end of story,” It was so certain and assured that the brunette wouldn’t dare to even think about disagreeing again, “I’ve got so many ideas. I’ve been chatting with this chick from that stupid All Kinds of Stuff High School that also passed the first round, and I think we can get a_ really _despairful dynamic going, just wait--”_

_Who? What? Everything was rushing at her so quickly. She had a bus to catch, she had people to call about pulling out of her recital. Before she could even think to open her mouth to ask more questions, ‘Himiko’ has already begun skipping off._

_“I’ve got big plans!” She yells back at the brunette as she runs, sneakers flailing, “Danganronpa’s not gonna know what hit ‘em!”_

_‘Tenko’ didn’t have any plans. She wasn’t expecting to make it this far in. She’ll take anything she could just to make it into this game, and that included running blindly with this stranger. Was it reckless? Was it stupid to just throw her life into this redhead’s tiny, tiny hands? Somehow it felt… incorrect._

_But as she tugged her bag over her shoulder once more, beginning her excited walk towards the bus station, she couldn’t help but feel this overwhelming sense of achievement. This is what she’s always wanted. This is what she wants._

_This is what she wants._

-=+=-

Tenko exhales, her eyes wandering. 

Shuichi and Kaito were talking to each other, making arguments and debating what to put forth before immediately turning back to the screen. They had been chatting back and forth with the Director but the Aikido Master had quickly zoned out, the noise fading into the background. Maki swipes furiously on her monopad, sharing evidence with her classmates on the podium’s touchscreen. 

“I’d like to ask a question,” Shuichi requests.

“Shoot,” The Director replies, leaning backwards in his chair. It wasn’t fair that he got to relax and act casual while these eight teenagers stood stiffly, stressed beyond their years. Shadows danced in the background of the video call, other people off-screen who were scrambling and shuffling around. Were they just as casual? Were they, just like the Director, in loungewear? Did they care for these teenager’s lives as little as their boss did?

“Regarding a…” The detective flashes a look over at Maki, which she does not return, “Discussion… We had earlier… We need something clarified. We are aware there are cameras…”

“Yes! Cameras in every room we deemed necessary,” The Director confirms. The only room that Tenko recalled that wasn’t ‘necessary’ was the kitchen. And hopefully, _please god,_ her bedroom.

“So you can confirm that K1-B0 tried to kill Tsumugi?” Maki finishes. The Ultimate Robot’s chest rises, almost as if they had taken a massive breath in. 

The Director hums to himself, smile never wavering, as if it _hadn’t_ just been implied that one of his students attempted to assassinate the mastermind. Only Tenko knew the full story. The Aikido Master had remembered everything Tsumugi had told her while she was pinned underneath her knee, had remembered every promise. _K1-B0 is working with them, they always have been!_ The cosplayer had said, _I’ll tell you everything at the trial if you let me go!_

And she had. Tenko _had_ let her go. Tsumugi was standing next to her, expression hollow as she stared upwards at the screen. The Director stared back, lips smacking, a gleam of something passing by his dark irises before he returns his gaze back to the detective.

“I can assure you that I have no idea what you are talking about,” He replies, drumming his fingers against the table, “Therefore, I can _not_ confirm it as the truth. Let’s move forward!”

K1-B0 deflates in slight relief. Tsumugi’s lips twitch downwards so briefly that if you blinked you would have missed it.

Tenko’s eyebrows furrow. Great. K1-B0 can’t remember anything about their near murder attempt, and the Director, the only person with full access to all of the surveillance footage, had just confirmed that the event never happened. Tenko had believed the mastermind, her _captor_ , and allowed her to roam free. And all because of a crowd of voices in her head telling her to do so?? Jesus. Once she gets out of here, she should definitely seek professional help about the obnoxious chatter in her brain.

“If I may ask, what exactly _did_ happen during that period of time?” K1-B0 requests.

Tenko turns towards Tsumugi. This was her time to shine. She had promised to explain everything, and was now given a golden opportunity to do so. The Aikido Master purposefully angles her body so her classmates could not see the expectant looks she’s been giving the cosplayer.

Tsumugi notices the glances quickly. Her eyes shift between the Aikido Master, towards her podium, which currently held nothing on it, and then at the massive flatscreen. There was a deep conversation within herself, complexity shown through her blue-grey irises, one that was too complicated to fully identify.

Tsumugi turns back towards Tenko and shakes her head. _You’re on your own_ , it tells the brunette.

“Not much I can tell you there,” The Director shrugs. There’s no way to tell if he’s lying, unless Kokichi wanted to pipe up and say something, “We’re in the dark ourselves.”

“Great,” Maki impolitely snips, “In that case we’ll move on to the fourth trial.”

They move past K1-B0 like it was nothing. Tenko finds herself glaring in disappointment, boring holes in her podium as she sharply averts her eyes. It wasn’t at Tsumugi. It was at herself. How could she? How could she be so trusting and _dumb?_

“Mmm. Yeah, good choice,” The Director nods at the assassin, motioning at a subordinate from behind the camera to hand him a specific file, “That did get a little messy, huh?”

He chuckles as if he was expecting the teenagers to laugh with him. Tenko hated this guy. And she held a great distaste for all of his workers currently. 

But his cool persona seemed to be working on some. Despite being outwardly suspicious, Shuichi’s shoulders have already begun to lower, his voice growing more lax and fluid. The detective was lowering his guard. It only forced Tenko to raise hers in comparison.

“The fourth trial was obviously rigged _against_ Tenko,” As Shuichi explained, the Director’s eyes trailed over towards the Aikido Master. She darts her gaze elsewhere, “Adding some quick backstory, this paper here very clearly alluded to what order the deaths were supposed to happen,” The evidence fills the podium screen, and subsequently the flatscreens scattered across the courtroom, “It had been dropped way before the trial, before Miu and Gonta’s murder happened.”

The Director leans forward towards the screen, double checking his own files. This slip of paper seemed to be new information to him, rather incriminating evidence that he was unaware of. Tsumugi shifts uncomfortably. She had very clearly screwed up there, made a detrimental, game-ruining mistake. 

“This death order was later confirmed through Kaito’s translations,” The Ultimate Detective continues, “Gonta’s murder had diverged from what was already preplanned, and created to be as unsolvable as possible.”

“Unsolvable in the sense that it… incriminates Tenko?” The Director clarifies. 

“She was one of the main suspects in that case,” Shuichi answers.

“If the idea of Gonta being the blackened didn’t come up, she would have been executed,” Maki added, “Didn’t she have the second most votes?”

“We tied,” Himiko corrects.

Kokichi places his hand over his heart, his eyes closed dramatically, “‘Til death do you part.”

Tenko hated thinking about that trial. Two people had voted for her. Considering how these events have transpired, Tsumugi was most likely one of them. Himiko voted for herself, leaving either K1-B0 or Kaito to vote with her. Kokichi and Shuichi had definitely voted for Gonta, as well as Tenko and supposedly Maki. Tenko had assumed it was Kaito who voted against her, simply because she had smacked him around right before trial and he seemed like the type of man to hold grudges. But now, if what Tsumugi had said about K1-B0 was even the slightest bit true, it was probably the Ultimate Robot who voted against her. 

“Kids, there’s no light way to say this, but we don’t necessarily care,” The Director shrugs nonchalantly, “Tenko was always supposed to die. The trial didn’t work, yeah, but it’s purpose was to get the killing game back on track.”

“...But you nearly got Himiko killed!” Tenko argues before he finishes his sentence, “She was in just as much danger during that trial as I was.”

“And Himiko is one of your ‘designated survivors’,” Kaito bounces off, using air quotations to further his point, “So why the hell would you try to kill her off?”

“Yeahhh, don’t kill her off _this_ early!! She’s my favorite character!” Kokichi quips. Tsumugi blinks at him in shock but very quickly represses it. Something about that joke rubbed her the wrong way.

“And you could have offed Kaito, too,” Shuichi adds, “If the trial went any differently. He was also a fairly prominent suspect. And even if he _was_ supposed to die, it would screw up the order.”

“That’s a good point,” The Director acknowledges, “...Of course, this impromptu second murder wasn’t _approved_ ….”

“Tsumugi is still _your_ employee,” Shuichi reminds him, pushingly, “Whether or not it was approved doesn’t matter if she was under _your_ watch.”

The Director clicks his tongue, “I wouldn’t say _watch_ … But fair, nonetheless.”

“This segways into the fourth and fifth murder,” The detective begins, “You just admitted it wasn’t approved.”

“A lot of this comes back to Tsumugi,” The Director says casually, accepting a glass of water and some takeout from an assistant offscreen. It’s so ridiculous and nonchalant that Tenko can’t help but scoff, “The trial was her doing. And even then, it hasn’t been completely confirmed that it _wasn’t_ Tenko or Himiko who killed Gonta.”

“Would you like me to explain it right now?” Shuichi chides sarcastically, “Because I’d be happy to explain it right now.”

“Take the floor, kid,” The Director consents, kicking back in his chair once more. 

Maki rolls her eyes and leans over to mumble agitatedly to Kaito. The astronaut chortles lowly, in response to something the assassin spits, and begins muttering back. Obviously the environment was much more slack than expected, and allowed the participants to start conversations without any sort of repercussion. Himiko was starting to pick at her nails.

Shuichi was elaborating further on how the blackened of the fourth trial could very well have been Tsumugi, considering how much sense it made when placed into perspective, but Tenko quite honestly wasn’t focusing. Kokichi was chiding with facetious yet somehow helpful comments, as well as the assassin and the astronaut whenever the Director attempted to divert the conversation, but all Tenko could focus on was her podium’s screen. The Director was nodding and humming in approval as if he was agreeing with what the detective was saying, however Tenko could still very clearly see the bright red light illuminating her face. 

The Ultimate Mage stole nervous glances at it every so often. At one point, Tenko caught her looking and quickly gave her a confident grin. This process was going to be long, and probably painful, but the Aikido Master was trying to convince her that this menacing red light was not going to be permanent. And maybe, just maybe, she would be able to convince herself, as well. 

Because, _Jesus Christ_ , was Tenko getting worried. It seems that this relaxed, neutral atmosphere was doing nothing but further cause her alarm, tensing her shoulders and hardening her expression. 

The podiums have slowly glided into a nonlinear formation. It seems the most prominent opponent, Shuichi, had been moved very clearly forward. Maki and Kaito trail closely behind him, with Kokichi and K1-B0 just following. Tenko is only centimeters in front of Himiko, but both are quite disconnected from the others. Tsumugi stands, far away from the group. She has said nothing thus far.

“...Her actions were reckless, and could have very quickly thrown one of your ‘designated survivors’ in grave danger,” Shuichi says, but Tenko barely hears. _Get your head in the game, get your head in the game!! For once,_ “From _your_ standpoint, this just isn’t acceptable.”

“And from _our_ standpoint, it’s horrible…” Himiko mutters. Tenko hums in agreement, and the pair share a dorky, flippant smile. 

“...Do you see what we’re trying to get at?” Shuichi questions, as if talking to a child.

The Director shoves his food down his throat and swallows harshly, caught in the middle of a bite, “Not necessarily. We acknowledge that _Tsumugi_ messed up, buuutttt….”

“This game has been compromised, and it’s in everybody’s best interest if we simply cancel it all together,” Shuichi argues. Kokichi has taken his monopad and _sat down_. He’s bored already. Tenko can’t blame him, she’s leaning against her podium and drumming her fingers against the counter, “There’s no saying whether or not ‘resetting’ to a certain point will even solve it. We’ve already sent the killing game so far off of what was supposed to happen, and it’s been proven that our memories can return. It’s a risk that shouldn’t be taken.”

“Well--” The Director pauses to chuckle, like he had told a little joke, “You don’t know what we can-- Oh, nevermind. Just give me a sec, kids. I’m gonna have a little chat.”

He reaches over and clicks a button. The audio abruptly cuts off, silencing his words as he turns towards his subordinates behind the camera. The Director mouths words, smile wide and expression giddy, as if he was mocking the teenagers, who were still dumbfounded and baffled. As if he was calling them all idiots, right in front of their faces yet discreetly at the same time. 

Shuichi turns from where he was standing, releasing a massive breath. The detective notices how far away his podium had moved from the rest of his group, and he promptly steps off.

“Anybody else getting really weird vibes?” Kaito asks, double checking behind him just in case the Director had heard. He had not.

“Yeah, _bro._ I’m getting really weird vibes, _broooo_ ,” Kokichi mocks, face buried in his monopad. He’s tapping through the screen. Something’s caught his attention. 

“...I thought you’d take this a little more seriously,” K1-B0 remarks. The Ultimate Supreme Leader huffs childishly, tilting his nose at him before returning to his tablet.

“I just can’t understand why we had to dress up for _this_ ,” Maki sneers, “It all seems so pointless.”

“Not entirely! I like the cape,” Himiko comments, flailing it whimsically, “I think it’s….”

The conversation fades as Tenko’s eyes wander.

All around her was red. The sky above her shone mercilessly down on the few remaining teenagers. The border of light around her podium’s screen was a harsh, bright, and obvious red color that hurt your eyes if you looked at it too long. She could find little grace in the relief of the tranquil blue that surrounded Himiko’s, surely a reminder of her own safety in this negotiation. 

The pin on Tsumugi’s lapel was red. The cosplayer to which it was attached to was daydreaming, staring intently at Tenko’s podium with glassy and unfocused eyes. Her glasses reflect the light from her own screen, signaling threat. Tenko had barely noticed that Tsumugi was in just as much danger as herself, Kaito, and Kokichi. It was an even four of her peers, which would widdle down the amount of safe people to half of the class. But it didn’t look as if Kaito and Kokichi were as worried, considering how their--

Tenko looks over, and their podiums were blue. 

“It’s moving pretty quickly for this to be the _only_ thing we’re discussing…” Shuichi’s voice cuts through during some side-conversation, bouncing through one of Tenko’s ears and immediately leaving through the other. 

The Aikido Master does a double-take. Yes, they were surely blue. The same color as Shuichi’s and Himiko’s. Hers was still a blaring red, harsh on the eyes, along with Tsumugi’s. Theirs have not changed. 

It seems that the astronaut had not recognized this subtle, yet foreboding change. Kokichi glanced at it once, blinked at it a few times, flickered his eyes over at Tenko, and returned to his monopad. 

She is definitely getting a little more worried, now. What does that mean? Her class had assumed that red meant you were up for negotiation, meant you were on the metaphorical chopping block. So this surely couldn’t be good. Why did Kaito and Kokichi get a pass? What was the Director discussing while his microphone was on mute? What conversation took place to allow them a pass? 

Tenko takes a few deep breaths. She’s allowing herself to get too emotional. She just needs to calm down. It’s a _negotiation_ , and things are going to be changing around her. Her heart pounds against her chest no matter how many deep breaths she takes.

“Do you think that perhaps--” K1-B0 begins, but is abruptly cut off by the sound of microphone feedback. All at once, the noise from the main screen flickers back on. The Director plops back in his chair, waves for his subordinates to hush from off-screen, and turns towards the class.

“We’ve got another offer,” He explains. There’s muttering from behind the camera, but he side-eyes them and they quickly shut up, “We acknowledge the fault in our game, so we would like to reset it up to our intended point--”

 _Reset it?_ If they were trying to “reset it”, like they had with Tenko and Himiko, it didn’t seem to be all that permanent. That being said, the flashback light they were hit with _was_ a work in progress...

“--However, we will allow Kaito and Kokichi to adapt throughout the killing game. If they survive, they survive,” The Director completes.

There was somebody missing in that sentiment. Tenko can feel the pit in her gut widening, ready for one wrong misstep or minor inconvenience to swallow her whole.

Shuichi knots his eyebrows, waiting for a moment for the man to finish his sentence, before he adds a solemn, “...But not Tenko?”

“No, not Tenko.”

There it was. Her deepest fear, verbalized.

“Then no, thank you!” Himiko chirps sardonically. Tenko allows a small smile to twitch across her cheeks before it very bluntly drops into a cold frown. 

“May I ask why _Tenko_ isn’t allowed to adapt as well?” K1-B0 questions with just as much steel laced between words.

The Director rubs at his nose casually, eyes shifting between the screen and others in the room with him, “Well, we can’t let _everybody_ live. Then it’d be boring.”

His employees laugh. They _laugh_.

A sharp chill runs down Tenko’s spine. It was absolutely frightening, how informal and _normal_ this man acted around the lives of _kids._ A cold silence fills the courtroom, allowing the shrill laughter to reverberate from the video call and bounce off the walls. She can see Himiko slinking in on herself, her shoulders reaching her ears as she intentionally made herself look smaller. Every other classmate stands, unmoving, as if they had been turned into stone. 

“--Besides,” The Director clips back, still reeling from a fit of callous laughter, “Every discrepancy you’ve labelled all started because Tenko lived past when she was supposed to die. I think taking her out of the equation is fair, yeah?”

As soon as the words are uttered, her classmates begin speaking at once, defending themselves and defending the Aikido Master.

“That’s not a sacrifice we’re willing to make,” She could hear Shuichi scorn, eyes drifting between unpleasantly glaring at the main screen and pointedly staring at his monopad.

Tenko’s hands have begun trembling. She looks down, and her skin is embellished with her podium’s menacing light. Tenko didn’t like this shade of red. She was growing to fear it. _Please don’t ruin this color for me_ , she finds herself begging internally, even though nobody is there to hear her.

“We’re saying no!” Kaito responds to some question the Director asked which Tenko had not heard, “We leave with _everybody_ , or not at all!”

“Well, I think it’s a pretty noble sacrifice to make, yeah? One person for everybody’s freedom?” The Director shrugs.

“You haven’t guaranteed _everybody’s_ freedom,” Maki spits cruelly, “You’ve only told us to kill one of our own, and then _hope_ that two others _adapt_ with no promise of survival.”

“So what? That’s fair!” The Director chortles, “I think Tenko should be _willing_ to make that sacrifice. Ey, kid?”

Suddenly under the spotlight, Tenko finds herself snapped back into the conversation. All heads whirl around to face hers as she stammers, mouth opening and closing for an answer. This was the moment she had been dreading, wasn’t it? The moment she had rehearsed in her head up until this point? It had just been confirmed that _somebody_ needed to be sacrificed, that the Director will not be satisfied unless he gets to kill at least _one_ teenager. So why shouldn’t it be her? 

Even though the answer sang sharply in the back of her skull, Tenko finds herself at a loss for words, her mouth clamping shut. Himiko is shaking her head next to her, almost as if she was answering the question for her.

“I’ll let you decide,” The Director finally interjects, smirking at her voicelessness, “We’ll take a three minute recess.”

Shuichi exhales through his nose, helplessly scrolling through the monofiles, looking desperately for something to refute with. Kaito mutters next to him, leaning over and pointing at the screen, but other than that the class remains silent. 

And it’s at that very moment when Tenko realizes that there were no discrepancies that did not bridge from her own survival. And just seconds after that, she comes to the desolate conclusion that there truly was nothing any of her classmates could say to justify the prevention of her execution.

The harsh, abrupt feeling of hopelessness comes crashing down on her, scraping through her bones and crawling vexatiously up her spine. The air, the haunting, red sky above her, feels heavy against her skin and crushes her lungs. It’s as if all of the light from the morning, all of the gaiety and euphoria from the kiss with Himiko had been pummeled and mangled by this sudden, inescapable dread. She could feel her hands vibrating no matter how tightly she clenches her fists, her breathing quickening no matter how deep of inhales she takes.

Maki mumbles something.

“Hm? Pardon?” The Director sings, halting his hand over the mute button just to enquire about the noise.

“I _said_ , what was the _point?_ ” The assassin hisses.

There’s a pause. The businessman tilts his head, almost innocently, “Excuse me?”

Maki slams her palms against her podium, leaning dangerously forward, “Were you ever going to give them a _chance_ ? You _knew_ what evidence we had, you _knew_ that everything led back to Tenko--”

“Maki--” Shuichi attempts to interrupt.

“So what was the fucking _point_ ?” She’s baring her teeth, clawing into her podium’s counter, “Why have us _do_ all of this if you already _know_ the _outcome_?”

“I think you need a few deep breaths and a break,” The Director says, addressing Maki as if she was a toddler, “I’ll see you after recess.”

Kaito ruffles, “Ey, she’s _talking to you,_ you _ass--_ ”

The screen shuts off, and the Director goes with it. **‘PLEASE HOLD’** it reads. Monokuma begins dancing again.

With no warning whatsoever, Kaito takes his monopad and chucks it at the screen. 

It smacks into the corner, shattering the bottom of the screen and causing it to wobble, threatening to topple over. The class flinch to action, all prepared to run in case it _did_ end up crashing on top of them. It teeters, but nonetheless remains standing.

The podiums begin gliding backwards, forming a semi-circle once more, however this time inverted towards the exit. Everybody is able to face each much more clearly. 

After a massive huff of relief, Himiko turns towards the astronaut, “Nyeh…. You could have taken us _all_ out, there!”

“Yeah, White Knight! You want all of our deaths on your conscience? Do ya? Do ya?” Kokichi tweets, finally standing up with the class.

“...I didn’t think it would fall like that,” Kaito admits sheepishly, after a moment of hesitation. His peers sigh in disappointment. 

Maki rolls her eyes, too annoyed to say anything further. She seals her lips so she doesn’t act too impulsively towards her teammates. Unlike Kaito, who has now caused permanent destruction to the Director’s property. 

“We’ve been given three minutes. We need to focus,” Shuichi quickly bypasses. The class nods in agreement, grabbing monofiles and searching for anything to use to their advantage, “...I still can’t understand just _how_ they plan to ‘reset’.The furthest they could go back to is after the fourth trial, or else Miu and Gonta would just… be _missing_ with no explanation.”

“Don’t underestimate them.”

The class peer over at Tsumugi. The cosplayer had her arms crossed, leaning against the counter with her back to the main screen. Tenko stood stiffly next to her, unmoving.

 **‘ONE MINUTE’** , the main screen announces.

“Good morning. Welcome to the conversation,” Maki says bitterly, voice dangerously monotone, “Where the _hell_ have you been?”

Tsumugi rolls her eyes, adjusting herself to face away from the assassin. She returns to her unnaturally unfocused demeanor, her attention clearly elsewhere as her teal irises glaze over. 

“Great. Awesome. Let’s-- Let’s keep focusing, alright? I think…” Shuichi continues speaking, but he turns his back and his voice muffles. 

Tenko could feel her chest constricting the more she thought about the future. It just seemed so _definite,_ so unchangeable and unavoidable. It agonized her to look over at her classmates. To look over at Maki, eyes narrowed in anger, in a bitterness over a situation so _unfair_ , not just on her but on others. To look over at K1-B0, so helplessly confused but still trying their best to cope, processing slowly and gritting their teeth in despair. To look over at Shuichi, who had promised last night that nothing would happen to her on _his_ watch, and watch him struggle and falter under this new, perhaps unexpected complication. 

The Ultimate Mage perks her head up from her own screen, tilting her head towards her friend with concern riddling her features. Himiko leans over and motions for Tenko’s hand, which the Aikido Master slowly grants.

“You’ll be okay,” The mage whispers. She’s so certain that Tenko almost _has_ to believe it. The brunette musters up the most confident smile she could manage, for the redhead’s sake, and allows her hand to slip away. Himiko takes her monofile and runs over to the Ultimate Detective, eager to help.

Tenko trusts them. Yeah. She trusts them. She’ll be okay. She forces that phrase through her brain, making it echo and repeat until even a tiny part of her is convinced. She’s staring at every corner of the courtroom that isn’t the red light coming from her podium, attempting to distract herself with the now cracked mainscreen, with the golden accents on Shuichi’s uniform, with Kokichi’s flowy cape. With the red flower, tucked into Himiko’s blazer pocket. With the corners of the letter in her own pocket, jabbing at her thigh. 

**‘THIRTY SECONDS’** , the screen announces, sending the courtroom into panic.

There’s a tap on her shoulder. She spins around. Tsumugi is dangerously close to her face.

“What did they tell you?” The cosplayer whispers.

Tenko blinks, startled, backing up against her podium, “Wh-What?”

The Aikido Master quickly checks behind her, in case anybody was watching this exchange. Everybody was too busy searching for evidence, searching for something to use for _her_ defense.

 **‘TWENTY SECONDS’,** the screen blares.

“At the library. When you had me pinned. What did _they_ tell you?” Tsumugi repeats. Her eyes bore directly into Tenko’s soul, with such striking determination that the Aikido Master has to squint.

 _They?_ Tenko didn’t have to repeat it. She knew what the bluenette was talking about, the sea of voices which had directed her to let the cosplayer go. Tsumugi had certainly noticed her writhing and twitching upon receiving that startling omen, had seen a clear distinction as the Aikido Master hesitantly stepped off and allowed her to escape. 

The answer hitches in her throat, and all Tenko manages is, “Uh-- Th-They?”

 **‘TEN SECONDS** ’, the screen says.

“ _Yes,_ ” Tsumugi spits as if the Aikido Master was a moron, “What did _they_ tell you to do?”

Tenko could hear restless chatter behind her. Her classmates were floundering, at loss for answers. She could hear them refusing to give up on her, something she would forever be grateful for, but there truly wasn’t anything they could label that didn’t trail back to her surviving that damn seance. They were out of options, but nobody was ready to admit it yet. Especially not Himiko, who was the loudest classmate there.

Considering the situation at hand, why was Tenko inclined to tell the truth? Tsumugi had lied, had made false promises, so why must the Aikido Master take the high road? Why is she even talking to the cosplayer in the first place? She could just ignore her. What was the cosplayer going to do about it? She wasn’t in control anymore. And Tenko would crush her in physical combat.

But the answer didn’t seem immoral. Allowing somebody to escape, knowing that if they were to remain in the area they would certainly come to harm. 

**‘FIVE SECONDS’** , the screen announces. 

“They told me to let you go,” Tenko answers, voice small and uncertain. 

Tsumugi blinks, drawing back. Her face is borderline unreadable.

The podiums have begun to glide back into their original positions, the circle curling inwards towards the main screen. Himiko runs back to her stand, jumping before it moves completely. She’s worried. Tenko can clearly see it in her furrowed eyebrows and the way she’s begun gnawing anxiously at her bottom lip again. The Aikido Master couldn’t blame her, she was anxious as well, a nauseous feeling creeping up from her stomach and into the back of her throat.

Tsumugi stares forwards. She’s looking at something. Tenko couldn’t discern what. 

“...Is this what you want?” The cosplayer mumbles, so breathily that it almost sounded like a gust of wind.

Before Tenko could ask for clarification, the screen flickers back on.

“Made your decision yet?” The Director asks as he sits back down in his chair.

“Yep! We’ll take two large cheese pizzas and a few rounds of Coke, please,” Kokichi answers unseriously.

“...I’m lactose intolerant,” Himiko mumbles, facial expression still steely with worry.

“Yes, we have made our decision. And we don’t like the offer,” Shuichi announces.

The Director’s lips curl upwards. A successful smirk, as if he had already won, “Great! Then let’s continue until we find something fair for both of us. Have you found any other discrepancies?”

No. The double murder, the rigged trial, the early discovery of the mastermind’s lair, the immediate shut down of the killing game, _everything_ that had diverted from the original plan just created an ugly, swerving trail back to Tenko’s feet. 

The silence of the courtroom says everything. They’ve all reached the same conclusion, nervously shifting their focus elsewhere to avoid having to look at the Director. To avoid looking at the Aikido Master. Tenko’s breaths are shallow, insufficient and getting increasingly louder. 

“...Yes…” Shuichi says, drawled out and long. It’s the same tactic he used during the fourth trial when he needed to stall for time, further proving that he was in the dark about what to do next, “...Let’s move on…. To the next discrepancy…”

The class begin to move at a comically slow rate, reaching leisurely for their monopads and very, _very_ slowly begin to swipe evidence towards the screen. Everybody has collectively decreased in speed, as if in slow motion.

“The next…. Discrepancy…” Shuichi slurs, “The discrepancy…. That is next…--”

“Oh my god, _enough,_ ” Tsumugi groans, returning from her intense daydreaming, “I _get it_ , I’ll _say something_.”

“Oh, Tsumugi! Didn’t even see you over there!” At the Director’s jolly bellowing, the cosplayer rolls her eyes, “How are you?”

The cosplayer frowns deeply, jaw tense and clenched. The red light from her podium reflects so harshly into her glasses that it almost looks at if her irises were crimson. If she had been telling the truth about K1-B0, it made a little sense for her to be angry. 

“Say what, Tsumugi?” Kaito sighs. The class turns toward her.

Tsumugi takes a long, generous inhale, her eyes locking on Tenko’s earthy green irises. She was second guessing herself, using this silence to internally battle between what she should say next.

Tenko raises an eyebrow. She’s still clinging onto the faint hope of the cosplayer helping them out. The Aikido Master has no idea how explaining the K1-B0 situation would assist in this situation, but it was surely better than nothing. 

After an agonizing pause, Tsumugi finally opens with, “...If it’s a discrepancy _they_ want, then it’s a discrepancy they’ll get.”

 _They._ The word was spit with pure venom, stinging at her lips and enunciated much more sharply in comparison with the rest of the sentence. Who were _they_ ? How could they possibly hold this much power over the cosplayer, over the _mastermind_?

And how could they hold so much power over _Tenko_ as well?

“Shuichi,” She starts, leaning over her podium to face the detective. The raven-haired teenager squints suspiciously, “Do you remember the first--”

The Director immediately catches on to what she is about to say, and interrupts with a chipper yet terrifyingly hollow, “Tsumugi, I understand what you’re trying to do and I feel inclined to warn you that you are about to make a _horrible, horrible mistake._ ”

The cosplayer buffers for a moment, allowing the threat to seep in, before she collects herself and continues, “Do you remember the first trial? When Rantaro was killed?”

Every member of the class reacts in confusion, a quiet murmur rippling through the courtroom as they stammer in hesitation. Tenko had completely assumed wrong about what Tsumugi was confessing. K1-B0 had nothing to do with the first trial. The Aikido Master, along with the rest of her peers, was left horribly in the dark.

Shuichi blinks twice. Of course he remembers. It’s the core of his troubles, the crux of his stress and worry. How could he _not_ remember when Rantaro was killed? When his first friend was whisked away and executed in front of him?

“Yes,” The detective answers sharply, after a brief beat.

“And the shot put ball. You remember it falling? You remember it falling and--”

“Yes. Yes, I remember all of it,” Shuichi acknowledges coldly.

“It missed.”

Shuichi doesn’t process it at first. At first, he disregards it, facial expression morphing with uncertainty and clear confusion. After a few seconds of processing it, of allowing the information to truly be inhaled, Tenko watches as the detective’s eyes widen in sudden realization. Of disbelief. Of a desperate hope that it couldn’t possibly be true.

“I don’t--” The detective chokes, “I don’t understand--”

The Director suddenly drops his smile, eyes much more threatening and unfriendly, “Tsumugi, this is your last chance.”

The bluenette ignores him, “You know what that means right? If the shot put ball missed?”

The detective was shaking his head, face dropping in unsympathetic disbelief, “...No…”

“ _Yeah,_ ” Tsumugi nods, mocking him. A plain, almost _cruel_ smile begins to twitch up her cheeks, “That means it wasn’t _Kaede_ who killed him. And you know how I know that?”

“ _Tsumugi_ \--” The Director snarls, now completely having dropped his friendly persona.

“Because _I_ did. _I_ killed him.”

The court sits in deafening silence.

Tsumugi pushes herself back to her normal standing position, patting down her skirt politely, “And I _plainly_ don’t think Tenko had anything to do with _that._ So do what you want with that information, but I’m done with this trial.”

After her horrifying announcement, Tsumugi Shirogane sits down, disconnecting herself from the conversation permanently. 

Tenko probably should sit down as well, because that confession came so _bluntly_ and so _quickly_ that it knocked the wind straight out of the courtroom. It couldn’t be true, it didn’t _feel_ true, but she just couldn’t imagine _why_ Tsumugi would bother lying about framing the Ultimate Pianist when the Director was so clearly _against_ it. The shot put ball… missed? The Aikido Master was desperately trying to connect the dots within her mind, rewinding back to the first trial, just as the rest of her class was doing. 

The implication was hideous. _Sickening._ That Kaede had done _nothing wrong_ . Kaede was _innocent._ She was INNOCENT, and had been sent to such a cruel, agonizing torture with no quick ending. A torture that would haunt Shuichi for the rest of his days, would keep him up at night, would choke him and smother him until he would breakdown sobbing at 2 AM in front of her piano. 

Tenko doesn’t want to look over towards the detective, but she does anyway. His face was blank, expressionless and distant. His mouth hangs open, almost as if he’s trying to say something, but all that emerges is voiceless air. The entire class was staring at him, waiting for his reaction, waiting for him to say something.

Almost hopelessly, the detective turns to face Kokichi. The Ultimate Supreme Leader, expecting him to turn around for an answer, meets his gaze with the same frozen smile. In his hands, the monopad which he had been so tirelessly searching through this entire negotiation. It’s paused on an array of evidence, including the abandoned shot put ball discarded in the trash in the hidden room. Kokichi had known. Kokichi had caught on to this discovery much, much earlier than any of them had.

Pensively, the Ultimate Supreme Leader nods. _It’s true_ , he tells Shuichi without words, _It’s true._

Tenko can hear Himiko releasing her breath from next to her. She’s in just as much shock as the rest of them. The courtroom is so devoid of movement and sound that if any of them were to even _exhale_ too loudly it would sound like a sandstorm, like the wind picking up speed and swirling into a tornado. The Director is just as silent on his end, his head buried in his hands in agitation. In bitter irritation. Even the subordinates behind the camera have ceased shuffling around, all of them blanking with this sudden development.

The detective returns his gaze back towards his own podium, towards the chilling blue light which encapsulates him. The color of safety. The mark of survival. The color that Kaede was not fortunate enough to see, not _lucky_ enough to marvel in before her early, mortifying demise.

Kaede was _innocent_.

After a few beats of spine-tingling silence, everybody begins to awaken from the trance they had been under. The noise is unbearable, so loud and shrill against Tenko’s ears as the class all scream and yell and demand at once. Himiko had tears stinging in the corner of her eyes. Kaito was yelling so roughly and brassly that spit was flying. Maki, who hadn’t necessarily shown anything but distaste towards the Ultimate Pianist, was hissing and snarling in the direction of the bluenette, dangerously close to marching directly off her podium to face her head on.

Shuichi was silent. Still. His eyes were bulging out of his head.

Tenko turns towards the Ultimate Cosplayer. The same girl she had allowed to escape from her grasp just one day prior. The mastermind. A now confessed _murderer_.

Tsumugi was reveling in the chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huh. that was unexpected.


	37. will there be two or just one?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trial part 2. a bit more progression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> notes!!
> 
> 1) TEN THOUSAND HITS??????? YOU GUYS?????? THANK YOU!!! i seriously never expected this story to be read by this many people, especially TEN THOUSAND, so thank you thank you thank you<333 i might sound like a broken record, but your comments and kudos truly keep inspiring me to continue writing and i am so grateful for all of you <33
> 
> 2) before you read this chapter, i need you all to go to this google drive and check out this art of the final costumes made by @LillianTA, whom i owe my entire life to because i love these drawings so so much........................
> 
> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11_dg2lBegtC_hQ-x0oHr5ySdify-htEA?usp=sharing
> 
> alright, enjoy!! :D

It’s too loud.

It’s been maybe twenty minutes(? Thirty minutes? An hour?) of just absolute chaos and calamity. The Director was shouting, at the video screen and at his frantic subordinates behind him, pacing around the room with his eyebrows furrowed viciously. Kaito and Maki have not shut up, to the point where Himiko was taking sharp breaks from attempting to piece together the situation just to beg them to be a little more quiet. Kokichi wasn’t helping either; his frivolous quips did not go unheard, however ignored. K1-B0 was stammering, usually engaging with the Ultimate Supreme Leader whenever the purple teenager would say something slightly on the cruel side, which would then derail into an argument.

Tenko finds herself yelling as well. Mainly because she just… needed something to do. She needed to express this sudden influx of information and emotion somehow. This was certainly  _ not _ supposed to happen. The trial had just barely started, and already it had been diverted past what the plan was. On one hand, she was incredibly grateful for the distraction and the extra help. This new discrepancy was  _ not _ influenced by the Aikido Master, giving her own team a leg up in the negotiation. 

However, as she looks over Shuichi, another part of her thinks that perhaps Tsumugi should have stayed quiet.

The Ultimate Detective was shaking. It was lost on Tenko whether it was out of despair, out of pure shock and unadulterated anguish, or whether it was out of unbridled anger. His eyes have not left the podium in front of him, wide and unblinking. 

“Alright--  _ Alright! _ ” The Director barks, still pacing, “You  _ can’t _ just make  _ baseless claims _ and expect anything to come out of it--”

“Au contraire, mon ami! There’s plenty of evidence here. I’m sure my beloved Shumai can piece it all together!” Kokichi interjects, flamboyant as ever, “Take it away, Shuichi!’

Shuichi says nothing.

“Take it away, Shuichi!” Kokichi echoes.

Silence.

The Ultimate Supreme Leader inhales, “...Take it away, Shuich--”

“Leave him alone! Just give him a minute,” Tenko scowls in irritation, taking a deep breath herself, “We can solve it ourselves!”

“We have the answer, we just need to work backwards,” K1-B0 agrees, nodding solemnly in an attempt to bring order back from the chaos of the courtroom.

“The purpose of this trial is to negotiate,  _ not  _ to retry a past case,” The Director frowns. 

He was slowly yet surely morphing back into his charismatic demeanor, sitting himself down stiffly. The businessman has not acknowledged the dismal crack formed in the bottom left corner of the screen, Kaito’s shattered monopad lounging underneath it. It seems the Ultimate Astronaut had come to realize how there were no more consequences for their actions, considering how Monokuma and his obnoxious children were no longer in the courtroom to uphold order.

“Well, if we prove that Tsumugi did it, then that’s a discrepancy!” Kaito retorts angrily, fists brandished, “‘Cuz… We all voted for Kaede! And we didn’t get it  _ wrong _ !”

“If Tsumugi stepped in, that must mean Kaede wasn’t  _ supposed _ to miss…” Himiko sourly inputs, “And if Rantaro was always supposed to die… and he didn’t die by Kaede’s hands...it would mess up the whole order…” The mage glances downwards dishearteningly, “Poor Rantaro… and poor Kaede…”

The classroom nods in a resentful solidarity. They needed to solve this case for  _ their _ sake. 

“If we assume that the shotput ball  _ did  _ miss, then we should also assume the true method of murder was bludgeoning,” K1-B0 immediately begins, beginning the conversation.

“Right. The head wound,” Maki acknowledges bitterly, forcing herself to avert her baleful glare from Tsumugi and towards the monofile, “It was on the back of his head, not on top. It’s likely the culprit attacked from behind.”

“Oh… Yeah, I get it! So, Tsumugi took the shot put ball from the floor and hit Rantaro with it when he wasn’t looking?” Tenko queries. 

“Well, that doesn’t make much sense! If Rantaro saw Tsumugi pick up the shot put ball, then there’s no way he would just turn around and let it happen, riiiiight?” Kokichi sings, flicking his cape a few more times to further allude to the fact that he was not taking this seriously whatsoever, “Unless our poor Rantaro had a death wish! Depression is the silent killer.”

“Yeah, he’s right!! Well-- Mainly about the Rantaro thing, but the depression thing as well!! I guess!?” Kaito stammers, awkward yet brashly confident, “There’s no way Tsumugi could’ve snuck up on him like that!” 

“Did she use something else as the weapon?” Tenko asks.

“That was definitely Rantaro’s blood on the shot put ball…” Maki hums.

Tenko turns around towards the Ultimate Cosplayer, half-expecting her to further elaborate on her confession and explain just how exactly she committed the crime. Tsumugi only sat, not shifting her gaze towards the Aikido Master, picking hastily at her nails as she sat lazily on the edge of the podium. She was truly unresponsive now.

“...Perhaps it was another shot put ball,” K1-B0 suggests, “One that Tsumugi had with her. She could have easily administered a sneak attack and then switched the two balls.”

“That explains the shot put ball in the trash can!!” Tenko inputs, swiping evidence onto the screen, “It-- That could have been the one that Kaede rolled, right?”

“That would also explain the pink fiber on it,” Maki says, “It could have come from Kaede’s bag. Wasn’t that pink?”

The podium’s screen illuminates with the rather mundane photo of the trash can. After close examination, Tenko realizes that a pink fiber was in fact attached to the shot put ball sitting gently in the can, propped carefully on top of piles of paper.

“...That means Tsumugi just…  _ threw _ the shot put ball in the trash…” Himiko mumbles, “...It’s a little stupid considering she’s devised everything  _ else _ perfectly up till that point…”

Tsumugi turns around to squint harshly at the mage, but then purses her lips in understanding.  _ That’s fair _ , she acknowledges without words, returning to her nails.

“This is all just speculation,” The Director dismisses carelessly, “How-- The cameras. How could she have moved past the cameras? She would have been  _ caught _ on the  _ cameras. _ ”

The class murmurs in disdain, reluctantly agreeing. K1-B0 swipes up on the newest photo found, the final image of Rantaro Amami before his demise. The same photo that Himiko had shown the group during the investigation, the only piece of evidence deemed useful from the envelope. It only reminded Tenko of the letter, which jabbed at her side from inside her back pocket. 

Shuichi catches a tiny glance of the photo, of Rantaro reaching for the camera with disorientation clearly ridden in his features. With a disgruntled groan, the detective hunches over with his head to the floor, still not ready to talk and most certainly not ready to see  _ Rantaro _ right now. He looked sickeningly pale. Like he was going to be sick. The blue light reflected off of the gold embellishments on his costume and left ugly gashes of illumination over the podium.

“She teleported!” Kokichi suggests unhelpfully, “It’s the only possible way!” 

Maki turns towards the detective, perhaps in some hollow hope that he’ll answer, but very quickly her expression turns sympathetic and she averts her gaze, “...Didn’t the cameras go off in intervals?”

“So?” The Director scorns.

“Couldn’t Tsumugi have navigated around the cameras if she was aware of these intervals?”

Unbeknownst to the Director, Tsumugi nods, moving from her nails and towards her braids as she begins absent-mindedly unraveling her blue plaits.

“ _...So?” _ The Director repeats.

“Not to play Devil’s Advocate, but it would have been pretty difficult to remain  _ completely  _ hidden from the cameras… Even if she did manage to use the intervals to her advantage.” K1-B0 says, slightly guilty in taking the opposition’s side.

“Damn! Whose side are you on?” Kokichi over-exaggerates, crossing his arms and furthering the Ultimate Robot’s rather genuine regret, “WAAAAAAAH!! Tenko was  _ riiiight!!!  _ K1-B0  _ is  _ on their side!!!!”

“I didn’t!! Say that!!” The Aikido Master bites back in both of their defenses. The Ultimate Robot only emits a contrite warble from the back of their throat, still confused and disoriented, flashing worried glances at Tsumugi who in return gives them nothing.

_ I think Tsumugi was telling the truth. _ The thought came to her maybe fifteen minutes after the cosplayer’s blunt murder confession, when Tenko had stared at the Ultimate Robot for long enough to realize that the cosplayer really didn’t have any reason to lie. She had expressed blatant rebellion against the Director just by openly admitting one of the most harrowing discrepancies of the game, so there’s no telling just where that rebellion stopped. If the Director had tried to kill Tsumugi… through  _ K1-B0 _ , somehow… it made perfect sense for the cosplayer to be pissed beyond words. To be angered enough to openly defy the organization she worked for. Or maybe she’s just always had a death wish. 

But Tenko also believed K1-B0. The robot truly believed they hadn’t hurt anybody. It was clear  _ something _ happened to their memory, and Tenko wasn’t sure if she wanted to be the one to break it to them. But the thought of the captor’s using one of her classmates for  _ murder _ was terrifying in itself. Would the Director use the robot again? Was K1-B0 used before? If they wanted Tenko gone, why didn’t the Director just use them earlier? Himiko always held a certain distrust towards the Ultimate Robot, and Tenko was starting to believe that maybe she was in the right to do so.

“Alright. So Tsumugi took a spare shot put ball, hid from the cameras using the intervals, hit Rantaro in the back of the head, swapped the two balls… Then returned to the hidden room!” Kaito summarizes quickly, moving past the robot discussion for now, “That room had a passageway leading to the girls bathroom, yeah? She could have slipped back into the dining hall that way!”

“...It makes perfect sense,” Tenko is almost reluctant to admit, glancing wearily at Shuichi. He still hasn’t picked his head up from where it rests stiffly on his podium’s counter. He hasn’t made a noise, “With the head wound, and everything…”

The class sombers. Kaito was irate beyond words, mumbling angrily at himself and dangerously close to destroying  _ more _ of the Director’s property. Just because he can, apparently. This zone seemed to be free game. If they had been in a proper class trial, the group would have been ordered to shut up and get back on track  _ long _ ago.

Kokichi and K1-B0 were arguing silently between themselves, again, as they leaned over their counters to make more flippant remarks. Himiko’s nose was twitching in complete confusion, her eyes shifting right and left as if she was attempting to visualize the situation in front of her. Maki glares at Tsumugi with venom in her blood-red irises. The cosplayer once more did not reply, now onto unraveling her second braid.

Shuichi hasn’t moved.

All Tenko could feel was bitter resentment. Once the situation was laid out in front of her, sprawled out and morphed into an ugly, hideously warped painting, all Tenko could feel was this vile acidity from deep within her stomach. It wasn’t  _ fair. _ It just wasn’t  _ fair. _ The idea of justice used to be so clear to the Aikido Master, an eye for eye mentality drilled into her at a young age, but now it all felt so useless and flexible. So brittle and purposeless in this vicious world the Director had created.

The Director stares at them condescendingly, leaned so far back in his chair that he was almost completely horizontal. Spinning in his fingers was one of his chopsticks, a repetitive motion that Tenko found herself fixated on. Despite the Director obviously being annoyed, the motion was so casual. So relaxed and nonchalant. Tenko just couldn’t comprehend him, could not imagine being so unstressed and unburdened around the lives of living, breathing people. 

The businessman takes a long, deep inhale, before he finally begins speaking once more, “...Tsumugi, I…” He sighs, truly at loss for words, “...You are in so…. Much trouble. Truly. Just…  _ so  _ much trouble.”

From behind the podium, Tsumugi was childishly mouthing his words in a mocking manner, still focused entirely on unwinding her braid.

“--Legally, as well. The amount of legal documents you just breached? Unimaginable. Just…  _ absolutely _ unbelievable. We are going to sue you  _ and _ your family for  _ everything they-- _ ” The Director pauses, noticing the silence, “Are you even listening to me?” After another moment of unresponsiveness, he continues with, “You. Karate Chick--”

Tenko flounders in agitation, mumbling an annoyed, “...Why does everybody think I do karate...?”

“Look to your left,” At his blunt demand, the Aikido Master turns to her left. Himiko raises an eyebrow at her, still stammering and piecing together the situation, “No,  _ my _ left,” Realizing her mistake, Tenko begrudgingly turns to the right. Tsumugi gives her a sarcastic wave from where she sat, “Is she still there?”

“Uh, yes?”

“ _ Tsumugi! _ ” The Director barks, barely waiting for Tenko’s answer, “Answer me  _ right now _ , young lady, I  _ know _ you can hear me--”

“I’m making the conscious decision to ignore you,” Tsumugi declares professionally.

“This is your fight too, now! Get out here and explain yourself--”

“ _ You _ explain yourself!” Kaito retorts back, “How could you-- Why would you  _ do that!? _ ”

“Don’t take it personally, kid--”

“ _ Fuck yeah _ , I’m takin’ it personally! That’s an innocent life you just took!” The astronaut snarls.

K1-B0 notices the ever increasing agitation, “Kaito, if I may--”

“ _ Not _ now, K1-B0--”

“--Reacting this negatively won’t do anything. The situation is awful, we can all agree on that. But they  _ want _ us to be angry--”

“Well, then they got what they fuckin’ wanted!  _ I’m pissed as hell! _ ”

“Kaito. Shut up,” Maki orders, snapping her head around to face him, “Let your emotions take over  _ after _ the trial. K1-B0 is right.”

“No, I agree with the idiot space boy. We should be angry!” Kokichi says, his eyebrows tilted downwards in false irritation, “Let’s throw more things at the screen! If we shatter it enough, we should be able to destroy him for good!”

“ _ More _ things?” The Director clarifies. Kaito shoots the Ultimate Supreme Leader a dangerous, sarcastic look.  _ Thanks _ , he spits wordlessly at him. 

“Well-- Well, that’s a  _ massive  _ discrepancy, isn’t it!?” Himiko exclaims, latching onto something and running with it, “That wasn’t fair at all!”

“It-- That’s--” The Director stammers, “Alright, that’s a  _ little _ different. Rantaro and Kaede were always  _ supposed _ to die, and in that exact order. We only stepped in to maintain order--”

“If you’re willing to interfere with the killing game once somebody  _ doesn’t _ die as planned… then there was no guarantee in your latest offer,” Maki cuts sharply, “...Letting them ‘adapt naturally’... Who’s to say you won’t just kill them once something goes haywire?”

“...I don’t believe you’re in any position to demand  _ guarantees _ ,” The Director replies formally, with one eyebrow perked.

“Even then! Your game is falling apart!  _ Has _ fallen apart!” Tenko cries, “And it  _ will _ fall apart again.”

Himiko nods, certain, “We can  _ guarantee _ that.”

The Director emits an amused exhale from his nose, “Mm. Well. Rantaro and Kaede were still supposed to die, in a pretty similar manner to how they had, so I don’t really--”

“How do we know you’re not lying?”

Tenko winces at Shuichi’s much more fragile tonality. The detective has finally lifted his head, clutching his podium so fiercely that his knuckles were a stark white. After a long moment of contemplation and silence, which probably wasn’t enough to comprehend the information at hand, he has finally entered the conversation once more. Nobody comments on how weak his voice sounded. They all accept him back into the discussion warmly, feigning confidence they just barely had.

“Speak up, son,” The Director asks amicably, his passive demeanor back in action. 

Why was Shuichi getting this affectionate treatment? Why didn’t that extend to Tenko? Typical  _ degenerate _ behavior, treating the girls poorly just to raise the  _ men _ on some imaginary pedestal…

The Aikido Master blinks. No, she shouldn’t think that. Shuichi wasn’t demanding respect in any way, shape, or form. And besides, the Director was being pretty harsh to a lot of people, not just the girls. Kaito was getting fairly harsh treatment, and the Director seemed pretty annoyed with Kokichi, as well. But, to be fair, mostly  _ everybody _ gets annoyed with Kokichi at some point.

“How do we know that… Rantaro was supposed to die like that?” Shuichi attempts slowly, “...We only know the order, not necessarily the  _ method _ of his murder.”

“Oh! We’ve had this all planned out for a while now. Rantaro was in fact supposed to die from that shot put ball,” The Director answers, “Do you need more evidence? I’m sure we’ve got some rough drafts of it… uh, let me just--” He reaches over towards a work phone positioned on his desk, holding down a button, “Hey, can I get the animatics for the victims’ deaths on the screens? Make sure Rantaro’s is the prominent one. Thanks.”

On his command, the various screens around the courtroom flood with pages upon pages of rough sketches, of low-frame animations with limited coloring. Every one of them depicted a murder, depicted the victim’s being killed in short, choppy animations. They were estimates, guesses of what was supposed to happen through the use of visual aid. When she turned to the left, Tenko could see Miu’s death in a black-and-white sketch, the low frame animation depicting all of her classmates awaking to find her corpse. When the Aikido Master turned to the right, she could see the animatic of Ryoma being dropped inelegantly into the water below him, where rough sketches of piranhas encaged him. 

Tenko was being incredibly careful not to stare too long at her own death plans. It started with an aerial view of the seance, depicting a sketched Korekiyo shuffling over towards the floorboard intended for her demise. The Aikido Master turns away from the screen as the animatic depicts her orchestrated death, but turns back once it shows the aftermath. Her blood was drawn in a childish hot pink color. The Himiko portrayed in the rough sketches had collapsed on her knees, desperately reaching for the deceased teenager. It took a few more seconds before Tenko forced herself to rip her eyes away from it. Still, it sent shivers straight down her spine.

The animatic they were  _ supposed _ to be focusing on was placed on the screen directly to the right of the Director. Black and white, roughly sketched, vaguely outlined. Rantaro walks to a designated location. He reaches forward towards something. The shot put ball falls, crushing his skull instantly. He lies dead on the floor. His classmates find him. Tenko can see an illustration of herself running in and proceeding to screech her head off. The Ultimate Aikido Master could remember that moment so vividly. She had so naively believed that no classmate would come to harm, that nobody would ever  _ think _ about committing a murder.

_ That was eight classmates ago _ , Tenko grimaces to herself.

“See? Basically the exact same way as all of you had assumed happened up until this point,” The Director points, watching the animatic repeat and blowing a raspberry inappropriately when the shot put ball hit Rantaro’s head, “Yeah. Not much has changed from--”

“Tsumugi still had to step in,” K1-B0 says, “Even if it was… basically the same method, you still interfered in the killing game, forbidding it from continuing naturally.”

The Director sighs heavily, “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Alright. One sec.”

He mutes his microphone. The students exhale. Shuichi drops his head back into his hands.

Immediately, the class turned towards the detective. Kaito steps off of his podium, raring to help. Kokichi also steps off of his podium, however instead of crowding his friend he skips over to the hat he had frisbee-thrown before the negotiation started.

“You alright, Shuichi?” The astronaut queries.

“Yeah. I’ll, uh, be fine,” The raven-haired teen replies, inhaling shakily before he lifts his eyes to meet the class, “God, I just feel sick--”

“Take it easy. We’ve got your back,” Kaito advises, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. For once, Tenko doesn’t disagree. This is what she had promised him in the Ultimate Pianist’s Research Lab. She had told him he wouldn’t have to carry anything alone, and that was especially prominent  _ now. _

“He’s right,” She agrees verbally, honestly shocking the astronaut a bit, “It’s… a lot to take in. But we’ll help you through it.”

The detective spares a grateful look over at her, and then Kaito, who was still next to him. He then flicks a complicated, conflicted glance over at the Ultimate Cosplayer. She was staring upwards at the screens in front of her, watching as the murders replayed over and over and over. 

“...Do we just… leave her alone…?” Maki whispers to the remainder of the group, implying that she could easily harm her if commanded to. The Aikido Master steps forward to let her know that she will stand behind the assassin, however apprehensively. 

“...Yes. We’ll-- I don’t know. I don’t know right now, sorry,” Shuichi shakes his head apologetically.

“Then we won’t do anything,” Kaito decides begrudgingly, “...Not now.”

Maki hums in reluctant agreement, fists slowly unclenching. Was it horrible that Tenko felt the same way? That justice needed to be served for Kaede? Everybody kept telling her  _ after _ the trail. Wait until  _ after _ the trial. We’ll figure out everything  _ after _ the trial, Tenko. 

What if there was no  _ after _ ?

The detective looks upwards at Kokichi, who was holding the hat he retrieved in his hands. He stares outwards at an animatic of a hydraulic press, absolutely covered in crude splashes of hot pink “blood”. A murder he had planned (with a grain of salt taken with the word  _ planned _ ) from the very beginning.

Before Tenko could even think to attach an emotion behind his stillness, Kokichi flips around and skips back towards the podium, placing the hat carelessly on top of his head.

“What’s happening,” He asks bluntly, voice monotone, “Why are we being all sappy.”

Kaito rolls his eyes, patting Shuichi two more times on the back before beginning his march back to his podium, “Whatever, Kokichi. Oh. Also. Really appreciated you snitching on me. Nearly got my ass handed to me back there.”

“Aw, no problem!” Kokichi’s smile returns immediately as he places two mocking hands over his heart, greeting Kaito at his podium before hopping onto his own, “It was my absolute pleasure!”

The microphone flickers back on. The Director waves the animatics off of the miniscreens, inhaling rather exasperatingly before initiating conversation, “Alright, we’ve got a new proposition.”

“Yes?” Maki pushes.

“The game still gets reset up until our intended point, that’s unchanged. But we’ll give you Kaito and Kokichi,” Tenko hated how he worded that. ‘ _ Give them Kaito and Kokichi _ ’, as if they were something to be won over, “We’ll let them live,” After a sarcastic beat, he adds, “...We will  _ guarantee _ their survival.”

Another pause.

“...But not Tenko?” Himiko says, a complete repeat of the first proposition.

“No, not Tenko,” It’s as if the trial had rewinded and started again.

Himiko throws her hands in the air, as if it was obvious at this point, “Then  _ no _ !”

Tenko finds herself frowning. Maybe she should start getting used to this practically permanent feeling of the inevitable, of this looming notion of death hanging over her, because the Director just  _ really _ hates her for some reason. 

“Why not? She’s all we’re asking for!” The Director reasons.

“ _ What _ have you got against her!? Really,” Himiko spits.

He locks eyes with Tenko, who in return glares harshly. He shakes his head with a low titter, reveling in some inside joke that only he was aware of. Chuckling at information that would remain his little secret. 

_ Jeez! _ Was there anything Tenko could say at this point? Was there anything else that her or her classmates could say that would justify her survival? Ever since she stepped into this courtroom, there appeared to be this massive target just plastered onto her back. It was getting  _ ridiculous _ at this point.  _ Irritating. _ Why doesn’t she get a fair chance!? What did  _ she _ do!? Kaito and Kokichi were supposed to die as well, so why the hell weren’t  _ they _ in the same position!?

“There’s  _ one _ catch, though,” As the Director continues, Himiko angrily mumbles a harsh ‘ _ one??’ _ , “You’ve gotta decide who she kills.”

Tenko blenches, furiously blinking, “Wha-- Who I  _ kill!?” _

“Yeah. We’ve gotta have a fifth trial  _ somehow _ ,” The Director says casually, “Everybody else gets out scot free. You just gotta choose one more person to sacrifice.”

After a beat of tense silence, Maki voices the question on everybody’s mind, “...Can we choose Tsumugi?”

“No. She will be disposed of and replaced.”

The implications certainly weren’t friendly. The cosplayer obviously overhears the blatant threat and rakes her hands roughly through her blue hair, yanking clumps of it out of her skull. After a moment of anxious shedding, she begins braiding it again.

“We’re saying no!” Kaito barks, “We’re not letting anybody sacrifice themselves!”

“Kids, you’ve gotta realize  _ eventually _ that sometimes the best offers aren’t the most attractive. None of you are in any position to demand any more than what we are providing,” The business man folds his hands and places them neatly on his desk, “I have been fair and impartial, and if you continue to blindly push away my offers because you don’t want your wittle feewings hurt, then you simply need to  _ grow up _ .”

He shuts the astronaut up immediately, however annoyed the amethyst teen was.

The idea was portrayed rather simply. Tenko would be reset and made to  _ kill _ someone, whether that be through framing or some other method was lost on the Aikido Master, and they would have to choose one other person to be the victim. If Tenko were to be cruelly honest with herself, and perhaps gave herself a bit of time just to be fully convinced, she might be able to will herself to be the sacrifice if it meant the freedom of the rest of her class. But taking one other person down with her?

Tenko turns to her left. Himiko was staring back at her, eyebrows furrowed and copper eyes focused. There was this sharp look of determination in her facial expression, one that was disappointingly familiar.

Tenko shakes her head firmly.  _ No. _

Himiko nods herself, face morphing.  _ Yes, I will do it. _

“I’m not going to let you sacrifice yourself,” Tenko whispers lowly. 

“Why not?” The mage replies, “I’ve already made up my mind. If they accept this offer, I’m going with you.”

Sudden dread and horror flushes through Tenko’s body, whirling deep within her and threatening to spill over the top. The worst ending, the  _ worst _ possible outcome for the Aikido Master would be anything that involved Himiko being hurt. She would not allow that to happen. And especially not like  _ this. _ Especially not in some damaged, warped future where Tenko had to kill somebody in order to complete her sacrifice. 

“I’d rather--” The words hitch in her throat, “I don’t want you to die here. And I don’t want to  _ be  _ the one who  _ kills-- _ ”

“HEY GUYS! WHAT’S GOING ON OVER THERE?” Kokichi shouts through cupped hands. Tenko rolls her eyes, “SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE REST OF THE CLASS?”

“Buzz off!” Himiko snaps back childishly, nose twitching.

Kokichi’s smile reaches upwards towards his ears, his purple eyes shaded by the visor on his head, “Well, that wasn’t very nice. And I had something to say, as well…”

At this point, Tenko was way too irritated to deal with the tiny menace. Why, out of all times, he had to choose the life-threatening  _ negotiation _ to be an absolute gremlin was lost on her. Nevertheless, the distraction worked,  _ again _ , because both girls forget the conversation and immediately avert their attention towards him.

The Ultimate Supreme Leader allows his sentence to linger in the air, drawing the other participants in with suspense. He revels in the way they lean forward to listen, how they’re all curious to hear what he has to say despite nobody in the room being particularly keen with his antics at the moment. Even Kaito, as moody as he is currently, is staring with expectant purple eyes, waiting for more information. 

“Yes, Kokichi?” Shuichi questions silently, voice still wavering. Tenko pities him.

Kokichi accepts the offer to continue in a heartbeat, chest rising with cocky confidence, “I was only wondering when the  _ real purpose _ of this trial would be announced.”

“...Real purpose?” The Director asks for clarification, mouth curling upwards into a half-smirk.

“Yes! You gave  _ me _ the secret of the outside world, did you not?” Kokichi emphasizes the word ‘me’ as if it was a privilege. The entire class knew that he had stolen it from them, had snatched it from Monokuma’s paws as soon as the keycard had been presented to the class. The supreme leader was acting as if this was an honor that had been bestowed on him and him  _ only _ . Like they had hand selected this boy to hold this great secret, and then trusted him to keep it. Tenko doesn’t trust Kokichi with her lunch. There’s no way a powerful company such as their captors would trust  _ only _ him with their secret.

“Yes, I suppose I did,” The Director acknowledges, “...What is your point exactly?”

Kokichi glances over at his classmates. He’s analyzing their expressions, waiting for the perfect moment to watch their faces harden and drop in impatience. He even peers towards Tsumugi, maybe in hopes that she would give him a reaction, however the cosplayer is still unresponsive. She’s plaiting her hair with a waterfall braid.

And then the supreme leader turns towards Shuichi. The detective was perhaps the only participant in the room who was not looking back at him. There’s a flash of something in the purple teenagers eyes, something foreign and unheard of. Regret? Sympathy?  _ Empathy? _

Once more, Kokichi never allows Tenko enough time to analyze him completely. It’s always from one emotion and straight to the next, however false or truthful it may be.

“Well, the outside world, of course! What’s the point of negotiating if there’s nothing to go back to?”

Tsumugi’s eyes widen. Tenko can see her raising her head, as if this announcement was shocking to her. Kokichi must have said something that rubbed her the wrong way. Kokichi must have said  _ something _ right.

If the Director felt any fear, it certainly wasn’t shown, “Elaborate on that.”

Kokichi smirks, fully believing he had the upper hand, “The truth that everybody has been waiting for! The secret they had been so desperately hoping to hear!  **The world outside is in ruins!** Why are we trying to negotiate if our homes have been  **destroyed** ?”

Tsumugi’s chest deflates. She’s sighing, clear relief riddled in her features. It’s a sure sign.

_ Kokichi is wrong?  _ It’s the first thought that comes to Tenko’s mind. As much as she hated the little man, he wasn’t usually…  _ incorrect _ about things. He could analyze events five steps ahead of everybody else. As much as he diverted and lied and distracted, he usually still had the correct ending in mind.

But as Tenko looks over at him, his smile confident and assured and  _ truthful _ , his expression poised in the face of his agitated peers, she just can’t help but feel worried. Tsumugi  _ knows _ that he is wrong, when Kokichi truly believes he is right. In all other circumstances, Tenko would be elated to learn that the outside world being destroyed wasn’t true, that it was a massive misconception on the supreme leader’s behalf.

But now she just couldn’t help but wonder what the  _ truth _ was. 

“ _ None _ of you wanted to believe me,” Kokichi pouts, voice laced with venom, “But it’s the  _ truth! _ This entire negotiation has been  _ pointless!” _

Maybe there  _ was _ an ulterior motive to this negotiation. But it certainly wasn’t  _ this. _

It wasn’t this. And that made Tenko even more nervous.


	38. will the guard dog run far away?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 3. the "main event".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tenko voice* WHY WE GOIN SO FUCKIN FAST???????

They’re all too tired for this.

Kaito groans loudly, “Come _on,_ Kokichi. Not _now--_ ”

“No. No, I want to hear this,” The Director interrupts, waving his hand dismissively. At his command, Kokichi’s podium begins to move forward until he is in the center of the room, easily viewed by all, “...You truly believe the outside world is destroyed?”

Himiko huffs. It’s clear she’s agitated by the current predicament, “It’s just some stupid lie that he keeps trying to convince us is real--”

“See, Mr. Director? Nobody believes me. And I’ve been nothing but _truthful_ to them!” Kokichi pouts. The Ultimate Mage opens her mouth, ready to defend herself, but is quickly cut off, “It’s just so--” A fake hiccup, “ _Unfair!_ I just want all my frieeeenndddss baaaaaaack!!”

Tenko knew what he was mocking the second he mentioned the word ‘unfair’. It was the stupid third trial, the moment after it had all finished when Himiko had completely broken down. The reminder shook Tenko to her core, the sudden jolt back to that day completely unnecessary and rather jarring. It was distraction after distraction, argument after argument, all rushing so _quickly_ that Tenko barely had a moment to catch her breath. 

Kokichi flips the crocodile tears off so quickly that it gives the Aikido Master whiplash, “But seriously. What’s the point. The entirety of the outside world is--” He blows a raspberry, “Y’know?”

K1-B0 finds themselves sighing as well, as if they were a parent apologizing for their miscreant menace of a child, “We’re sorry about… _him._ Now, back to the topic at hand--”

“Please, I’m… genuinely curious,” The Director politely interrupts, “...Is this a trick? Are you trying to pull something?”

That’s what Tenko would like to know. She really wished there was a universe where the Ultimate Supreme Leader would just be… _honest_ . For _once_. Just flat out with his plans, instead of creating zigzags and jagged lines that throw the Aikido Master for a loop and give her a headache every time. 

Kokichi tilts his head to the right like a confused puppy, facial expression unmoving and stiff, “Hm? Not going to give me any fight? But that makes it so boorriingg…”

The Director glances over at his subordinates behind the camera with a playful flame in his eyes. He’s making fun of the Ultimate Supreme Leader. Even if he said nothing out loud, Tenko could clearly tell with the way his smile curved upwards sarcastically. There’s no way Kokichi doesn’t notice him tittering like a high school bully, and yet the purple teenager remains frighteningly unmoved. Tenko would rather plunge herself into the sun before she said she _admired_ anything about Kokichi, but she will bitterly respect his sense of resilience. If it was the Aikido Master that the Director was laughing at, she would have pulled a Kaito and shattered another corner of the flatscreen.

“Well, it’s obvious you don’t believe your own story,” The Director smiles, “...Or have you become that naive? I don’t believe _you_ truly think this little secret to be true.”

“Maybe! Maybe not,” Kokichi shrugs back, matching his tonality and vocal modulation, “...But I know what I _saw_.”

“What the hell are you on about?” Kaito scorns.

The supreme leader continues, as if he had never heard the astronaut, “And that seemed quite real! So, I have made up my mind! The outside world is in fact _destroyed!_ ”

“...Kokichi, I’m lost,” Shuichi admits after a long pause, confessing that not even he, Kokichi’s closest companion in the game, knew just what this plan was.

“Get a map,” Kokichi retorts helpfully. He’s trying to act all cocky and confident, but the cape around his shoulders was practically swallowing him whole.

Himiko mumbles under her breath, rolling her eyes. It’s clear to see that nearly every occupant in the room was agitated, their heavy nerves and overwhelming fear of the situation carving into irritability. The only person who could technically be labeled as rational was K1-B0, but even that was a stretch considering how they were still very disoriented from the Tsumugi situation. It seems that not even they were convinced completely of the Director’s words.

The Director’s eyes lock on something from behind the camera. Somebody had entered the room.

“Sir, you’re on in fifteen minutes--”

“Yes, yes. Ssh,” The businessman dismisses quickly, pursing his lips, “...You’re a smart guy, Kokichi--” 

“Thank you,” Kokichi interrupts ingratiatingly. 

“So I’m gonna give you this,” He continues, leaning forward in his chair with his hands folded on the desk, “I’m gonna give you one shot to guess what _you_ _think_ is going on.”

“You are very heavily implying that there are underlying motives for this negotiation,” Maki hisses, glaring at the main screen. 

“I think you always knew that, Maki,” The Director replies. The assassin scowls deeply, turning away. It seems he was right, “Sometimes it’s best to act on your intuition.”

“If you were going to _admit_ it so easily, then why bother hiding it??” Tenko demands gruffly, “You’re just _telling_ him!” 

“I’m not telling him anything! I want _him_ to tell _me_ ,” The Director clarifies. 

His dark eyes lock on Tenko’s, showing no warmth to her in comparison to the rest of her classmates. As if she was a nuisance to look at, like she was some extra in a sea of her respectable peers, not worthy of his or their time. There was something about that organization that just loved to make Tenko feel like the dirt beneath their feet. It was the same deal with the intern she had encountered during their discussion with Isobe, a teenager perhaps one year older than her whipping out his phone to film her like some zoo animal. Was that all she was to them? Just something to scorn and gawk at? Was her entire journey throughout the killing game frowned upon in the same light as the Director frowned on her now?

It had been the exact same with Tsumugi, as well. All four of her captors which she had come in contact with thus far have regarded her with disdain. Maybe that was why she was the only person not being given a fair chance at survival in this negotiation. Did they all hate her that much? Did they all find her that insufferable that they would hold this grudge with them until she was buried six feet under?

Tenko didn’t like being hated. She realizes this now. She had been so blind to mutual hatred during the developmental stages of her life, always diverting her own self-loathing and detestation by throwing it at an exaggerated enemy (men), that she just simply did not pay attention to the enemy hating her back. She likes to think she’s made progress past that point. She really wants to believe she’s a better-- _not perfect, but better--_ person than who she used to be. But now that she’s willingly let this barrier crumble, it seems that she’s opened herself up to much more harm. 

She’s opened her eyes. Sure, she isn’t as blind as she was before, but sometimes she doesn’t like what she sees. Like the snotty teenage brat who snickers behind his hands and films her without her permission. Like the pretty bluenette damsel with a convincing facade who lies and lies and lies until all Tenko can hear and breathe are lies and deceptions. Like this dickhead in front of her who has never met her yet wants her to die under his own hands.

“Go ahead, Kokichi,” The Director waves, jabbing his chopsticks back into his takeout. It seems he has resumed casualty, satisfied with how he has resumed the trial, “Be completely honest with me. Tell me everything you think you know, and I’ll tell you whether you’re right or wrong. You have my word.”

Kokichi playfully behind him and at his classmates, gathering reactions as they wait impatiently, “Hmm…. I don’t know if I wanna….”

“ _Kokichi,”_ Shuichi warns, voice desperate and distressed.

“Okay! You’ve convinced me,” The Ultimate Supreme Leader immediately says, “I’ll tell you everything I know!”

-=+=-

Kokichi spins tale upon tale of the knowledge he’s acquired, about the keycard he had snatched from Monokuma and the outside world he had the pleasure of meeting once he had been isolated. He described the sunny blue skies shown outside of the cage of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles, comparing it to the destruction he had seen using the keycard, to the heavy dust and severe lack of oxygen that strangled him. He had described those red skies with grand gestures above them, as if pointing out constellations, causing the entirety of the class to peer upwards at the falsified sky peering through the stained glass. Kokichi told them that it was this exact sky above them that he had seen outside.

Before Kaito was able to yell in disbelief, before Maki was able to snap in denial, Kokichi quickly backtracked. 

“But that was just a lie!” He smirked, finger over his lips, “I mean, of course. Come on, guys. The outside world can’t be destroyed, there’s a whole team of people right there! There’s no _way_ we’re the last people on earth! ...Which I had been so wrongfully told.”

The Director playfully smiles, like a child caught in the act, “...Whoops.”

Himiko turns over towards the Aikido Master, who in return perks an eyebrow, ready to listen. The mage’s eyes shoot back and forth between her back pocket and Tenko’s green eyes, wishing to be discreet. The taller girl buffers for a moment, confused just to what exactly she could be implying and honestly a little flustered about where Himiko’s gaze was going considering the positioning of her back pocket, but quickly realizes just what exactly the redhead wanted. Tenko hastily takes out the envelope, strategically shaking its contents out onto the table as silently as humanly possible as to not draw attention. Once Himiko sees the photographs and letter being flattened onto the counter, she returns a slight gesture with her right hand.

 _Just in case you need it,_ she’s signaling.

The Aikido Master nods. The most important of the photographs, perhaps for now, was the group photo which included Tsumugi and Isobe. There was a considerably large amount of people in that image. Alive people. People who are not dead. Or at least, hopefully. 

Proof of the outside world.

But the letter was becoming more and more relevant, as well. The faint yet desperate scribble of ‘ **_Kaede is_ **’ seemed to become much clearer now. Perhaps Tsumugi was trying to warn them, was trying to confess to her murder before the negotiation even started. Or, considering how this letter was not supposed to be found until after the fifth trial, she was trying to tell them this secret once everything had allegedly gone to shit.

Tsumugi notices her taking something out of her back pocket, but since she has sat down she isn’t tall enough to see what was placed on the counter. The pair make flickering eye contact but nothing much comes out of it.

“And that got me thinking,” Kokichi continues. Tenko was willing herself to pay attention, forcing herself not to drift off. Even if she didn’t believe him fully, she will still listen so she’s able to decide for herself, “Just what else are you faking?”

“What do you mean?” Kaito roughly tries to ask, but is promptly shushed by every remaining member of the room. 

“Okay, I see. You’ve caught on to the projections,” The Director nods dismissively, “Yes, the cage is in fact a screen. Not real sky. That--” He points at the crimson sky above the group, “Not real.”

Himiko stammers, eyes widening, “So-- So the outside world is--”

“Fine, yes.”

“If it was so fine, then why bother with the projections in the first place?” Tenko questions out loud, but quickly seals her lips closed as she realized just what exactly she asked, “...Unless… Are we-- Are we _actually in space--_!?”

“Well, we’re certainly not in Kansas anymore!” Kokichi chirpily replies, another brief reference that flies directly over Tenko’s head. She can see him mentally scolding himself for making another pop culture reference, cursing himself for sounding like Tsumugi.

“It doesn’t matter _where_ you are, but the outside world isn’t destroyed,” The Director says, “...So if that’s what you’re trying to leverage here--”

“Hold on. Be patient! I’ll move on from that, but I first want to ask a teensy question!” 

“Hit me.”

“Are we being watched?”

At the question the Director silences, his head cocking to the right, “By us? Yes.”

“No, silly! I meant _besides_ you guys. Do we have an audience?” Kokichi queries, before jokingly posing, “And do you think this is my good side? I’ve been trying different angles.”

“Hmm,” The Director hums. For a moment it looks like he isn’t going to answer, but he then replies with, “Yes. There is a larger audience.”

“We’re being watched?” Kaito asks, eyes bulging out of his head. He spins himself around, head jerking left and right as he searches for cameras, “People are _watching this!?”_

“No way. No _way!”_ Tenko disagrees, shaking her head rapidly, “Nobody would-- You’d have to be _sick_ to watch this!!”

“Well, aren’t you _rude,”_ The Director spits, “I’m sure the audience would agree.”

Tenko instinctively looks for a camera, rapidly shifting so her forearms cover the photographs beneath her. It seems Shuichi had also habitually turned upwards at any mention of being watched, his eyes locking on one camera in particular, way up in the far corners of the trial room. It was locked on the Ultimate Detective’s puffy eyes, refusing to fidget as they engage in a stare-off. It doesn’t waver.

“Why hasn’t anybody come to save us!?” Himiko demands, receiving a wave of brash support from her peers, “If people are watching, then how come nobody has rescued us yet!?”

“Nobody _wants_ to, Himiko! You’re not important enough!” Kokichi replies, but very quickly backtracks as soon as he notices Tenko’s threatening glare, “I’m joking! I’m joking.”

There was a reason this information wasn’t holding as big of an impact on Tenko as it should. Perhaps a part of her already knew this. This organization was huge, with mentions of _story management_ and _broadcasts_ and _audiences_ . This killing game wasn’t just for her captors, it was for _everybody_. People were watching these innocent teenagers kill each other. They were watching these sixteen kids as they were stolen from their families, shoved into a secluded academy, and forced to slaughter one another.

Why _hasn’t_ anybody come to save them? Was her family watching in horror? Has anything been done to save them? How much had they seen? On a less serious note, did her family watch her kiss Himiko? Because Osamu would be furious and that honestly might make her feel a little better.

Shuichi is the first to break away, glancing downwards in deep thought, “...I think I know what you’re trying to say, Kokichi.”

“Really? Oh, great. I was running out of random things to say,” The Ultimate Supreme Leader replies nonchalantly, leaning casually against his podium as Shuichi’s stand glides forward to meet him, “Everybody, be quiet!!! My best friend Shuichi is going to piece everything together!!”

“Well--” The detective inhales shakily, still unstable. A gust of wind could knock him over, “You’re implying there’s an audience _watching_ this, which would mean it’s being broadcasted to the outside world--”

“Alright. Yup,” The Director nods along, annoyingly.

“--If the screens are intentionally adapted so we aren’t aware of where exactly we are, then that heavily implies we’ve been isolated from society--”

“Doing well. Yep.”

“--And if the flashback lights are able to erase our memories, then any recollection of us agreeing to this killing game or being transported to this location have already been discarded--”

“Woah. Hold on, woah-” The Director halts, waving his hands to signal Shuichi to stop, “Erase your-- When did we say--” From off-screen, a subordinate hurriedly whispers at him. The Director’s face morphs from confusion, to realization, and back to blunt, almost paternal anger, “God _damnit_ , Shirogane. You seriously used the blackout light on--? _God_ . The lawsuit is just piling up. _Piling._ ”

Tsumugi rolls her eyes.

“Does the audience want this?” Maki questions, “...You turned off the broadcast after the fight I had with Tenko. Surely they were the ones who called for this negotiation.”

It seems the assassin was one of the first of the class, besides Shuichi and Kokichi, to move past the initial shock of being watched by an audience. 

The Director titters, “They certainly weren’t happy with that sudden shutdown. First Kokichi disables the cameras, and then when they turn back on all hell has broken loose?”

“Who _is_ the audience, exactly?” K1-B0 interrogates, “...How many people are watching?”

“Right now? We are not live, currently.” The businessman answers, “But many are waiting for the main event. 270 million, to be more specific. That’s not counting the rea--”

“270 million people!?!? _”_ Kaito shouts at nothing. 

The class exclaims and gasps in shock, a ripple of confusion and irritated energy coursing through the group. They stare upwards and around, searching for hidden cameras, hunching in on themselves to make themselves smaller, as if that would help them not be viewed by the needy watchers. Tenko can see Himiko’s hands shaking at her sides. For a renown entertainer, she sure wasn’t used to being watched like this.

“Wait-- What do you mean by _‘main event’_!?” She demands worriedly, “What are you going to do!?”

“The main event of the negotiation, of course! The **big reveal!** ”

Himiko blanches, reflexively taking a step backwards on her podium, “...The big… _reveal?_ ”

“Alright, so is that what you believe is happening? That's everything you want to say, Kokichi?” The Director turns towards the supreme leader expectedly. 

“I’m sorry, _270 million people!?!”_ Kaito parrots, echoing the businessman in shock.

Maki shushes him sharply.

“Kokichi is implying that this negotiation bends at the audience’s will, and not your own,” Shuichi translates for the Ultimate Supreme Leader, “...This also means we were never going to receive a fair chance. It seems they’ve already… made up their mind.”

The worried glances at Tenko do not go unnoticed. “Made up their mind” implies that the audience wanted Tenko to die. _Wants_ Tenko to die. Which is just so lovely of them.

It’s not a pleasant feeling, for sure. One that sits heavily on her stomach and makes her light-headed. It mixes sourly with this ever growing rage, this exasperated exhaustion and irritability that is threatening to boil over in the form of hot, agitated tears. She can already feel tears in the corner of her eyes, which she very aggressively blinks away. 

_Why?_ It’s the only question that circulates through her mind, bouncing painfully around her skull. She’s so tired. She’s so tired of death. She can barely say anything at this point, too weak to yell at them for wishing harm to her. The fact goes by without consequence, swirling and hissing deep in Tenko’s gut.

“Alright, so let me recap,” The Director says, satisfied with Tenko’s lack of reply, “You’ve haven’t figured out where exactly you are, but you know you are in a secluded area away from society. You have figured out that there is in fact a larger audience. You know the blackout lights took away all knowledge of coming to this location.”

“They could have _given_ us false memories, as well,” Maki suggests, “There’s no telling if any of the flashback lights we had used during our stay here were in any way truthful.”

"...If you mean the flashback lights you found around the academy, then yes! True as well!" The Director jubilantly admits, "The Gulfer Project, the Hunt, the destruction of the outside world, all fictional! Just some fictional backstory to motivate you!" 

“I also have some theories about K1-B0!!” Kokichi pipes up, shooting a rather jabbing look at the Ultimate Robot. As soon as he gains a reaction, the supreme leader crosses his arms stubbornly, “But I shall keep them to myself.”

The Director raises an eyebrow, “Well, please. Share them.”

“Nah. You already _know_ what I’m going to say, dontcha?” 

K1-B0 raises a shaky finger, “Um-- I would like to know just what--”

“Zip your non-existent lips!” Kokichi retorts back.

“Um, can we go back to the audience??” Kaito’s mouth is still hanging open, eyebrows furrowed, “....What the hell? What the _hell??”_

The Director chuckles as if this was in any way, shape, or form amusing. He ignores the astronaut, who was voicing the general concern of the majority of his peers, “So you know about K1-B0, as well.”

“Know _what_ about K1-B0?” Maki demands, first at the Director but then turning towards Kokichi, “Know _what?_ ”

“Isn’t _that_ an interference?” Kokichi asks, hinting at something only the Director knew, “Shouldn’t your _precious audience_ be held accountable for interfering with the game, as well?”

“What is going on!?” Tenko shouts vaguely, finally finding her voice, “I am so confused!”

There’s a general murmur of ‘yeah’ that follows her yelling as the rest of her clueless, less detective-like classmates agree. Even Shuichi himself wasn’t completely up-to-date on what exactly Kokichi was on about, still leaning against his arms to stabilize himself and keep him from completely collapsing. Himiko’s mouth keeps opening and closing, nothing but voiceless air being emitted, her face morphing from horror to complete fury to staggering confusion. 

Okay. Alright, alright, alright. Tenko needs to back off of the conversation for a moment and process. She just needs to take it slow. Kokichi had been given the secret of the outside world, a secret which would haunt him and be the main argument in convincing Gonta to murder Miu. To find out that it wasn’t real after all, to discover that all of that deeply rooted paranoia born from the destruction of all he knew and loved, must have been harrowing. Devastating. 

If Tenko was forced to live with the secret that her family and loved ones would not be outside, would not be waiting for her if she were to ever escape, she wouldn’t be able to function. 

Now at some point Kokichi had realized that the destruction was not, in fact, the truth. Perhaps any plans created from this discovery had been put on hold by Shuichi, had been diverted because of the Clown Crusade, but quickly came back to fruition once Kokichi found evidence of the outside world. He was in charge of the main computer, after all. There was no telling just what he discovered on that thing. Who’s to say Tsumugi didn’t have documents describing the audience hidden behind firewalls? Who’s to say the cosplayer didn’t accidentally leave glaring evidence of their families not only being safe, but watching them suffer and fight for their own survival?

Kokichi pieces it all together. The killing game is a televised event that involves mercilessly slaughtering teenagers, as millions of people watch. Those same watchers want Tenko dead so badly that the Director isn’t even _considering_ letting her go.

Kokichi then discovers something about K1-B0. But he sits on that discovery and stubbornly refuses to admit what. The poor robot had to be completely short-circuiting out of confusion and guilt, guilt over something that not even _they_ were aware of. But no matter how badly K1-B0 felt, there was no denying that they caused _some_ sort of discrepancy. 

Shuichi explains this very, _very_ slowly. He turns around to face his classmates, his podium still much more forward, in some attempt to disconnect himself from the Director behind him who watches over his shoulder.

“...I hadn’t even thought about being watched by an audience…Especially not one that large….” Maki admits quietly, only wishing to address their inner circle.

“I mean-- I can’t say I still completely understand everything… And it would help if the whole K1-B0 thing is explained… But that makes sense,” Kaito nods, arms folded over his chest. He turns towards the Ultimate Supreme Leader, and quite genuinely throws the teenager a, “Good job, Kokichi.”

For a brief moment, Tenko saw Kokichi’s mouth twitching upwards.

“May you _please_ tell me what I have to do with the discrepancies?” K1-B0 desperately questions both the Director and Kokichi himself, “ _Please?”_

“Alright. I’m assuming that you’re finished?” The Director asks patiently, brushing his hands off on his sweatpants and ignoring the robot. He begins shuffling around his desk, shoving trash off of the screen. He was preparing, “Everything out on the table?”

“Welp, since I’ve already deducted that we’re being televised, what’s the point of continuing?” Kokichi says buoyantly, “We’ll just make it so boring that nobody _wants_ to watch! Quick, everybody! Fall asleep!”

“...Honestly, that’s not a bad idea,” Maki shrugs, “If everybody refuses to participate, then--”

“No, no. That’s no good,” The Director very hurriedly refuses, “No good at all.”

Before anybody could even think to rejoice over Kokichi’s discovery, the Director had just as quickly shut it down. His desk is now completely empty, his jacket shaken off and replaced with a much more formal blazer. An arm extends from off-screen with a makeup brush, applying last minute touches. Tenko raises a suspicious eyebrow.

“Why not? Don’t believe I can fall asleep that easily? Just watch!” Kokichi retorts mockingly, before he collapses on his podium.

“We’re on in one minute, sir,” Somebody says from off stage.

The class suddenly flusters. Was this the ‘ _main event’_ he was talking about? What did ‘ _going live’_ mean? Maki seemed fairly tense, her own teeth gritted at the prospect of 270 million people about to watch her every movement, and quickly shoves her turtleneck mask over half of her face. Kaito blubbers, lips moving but without noise, and hurriedly shuffles over to the assassin’s podium. After an initial resistance from the brunette, she quickly gets over it and the pair begin whisper-yelling at each other. K1-B0 blinks, mouth hanging open, before they recollect themselves.

Himiko tugs her hat down her face so roughly it almost covers her eyes. Tenko anxiously shoves her documents into the far corner of her podium. Shuichi has probably stopped breathing at this point. Kokichi stays asleep.

“We’re on in five,” The same subordinate from off-screen says. 

The class's desperate cries, their frantic pleas for the Director to _please just tell them what was going on_ unheard.

Tsumugi looks upwards, sighs heavily, and begins to stand up. Her hair now falls over her shoulders with a simple waterfall braid running from her right side and down the center of her back. She looks irritatingly exhausted, her teal eyes droopy and her demeanor evidently less perky and upright. After rolling back her shoulders and adjusting her own blazer, Tsumugi raises her chin, ready to face whatever is coming.

Tenko’s heart beats so loudly that she could barely hear her friends from next to her.

“And, we’re live!” The Director announces. His voice drops professionally, his eyes rejuvenated and his stance suddenly much more proper and formal than what he had originally presented to the class, “Welcome, all, to the grand finale of Danganronpa!”

-=+=-

It’s as if the world suddenly started. The lights above them, originally dull and lifeless, suddenly burst into action with flamboyant and vibrant colors, causing the entirety of the group to flinch. The podiums rattle and glide back into their original semi-circle formations, the bewildered Shuichi and the still “unconscious” Kokichi forced to move alongside them. 

The screens around the classroom crackle on, a sudden roar of noise erupting from every corner and crevice of the courtroom. Millions upon _millions_ of pictures, avatars and profile pictures flood the area, all emitting the exact same screech of a cheer in complete unison. Half of Tenko’s class clench their hands over their ears, shouting at each other in hopeless attempts to understand what was happening but were very quickly drowned out by the trumpeting roars of the screens. The Aikido Master could not recognize anybody portrayed, could not see anybody she knew no matter how hard she squinted.

Certain screens held a logo. _DR_ were the letters written on it in bold white, bordered in moody blacks and reds. The same logo that made itself visible on Tsumugi’s blazer. _Danganronpa._

Instead of only her podium’s screen being illuminated, Tenko’s _entire podium_ suddenly bursts in bright, threatening red light. She is engulfed by it, covered from head to toe in a foreboding illumination. The crowd notices this and gets louder. 

The class watches in horror, the initial shock wearing off as they spin in their podiums to fully grasp the situation at hand. The cameras point at them expectantly, wanting a reaction, _revelling_ in their discomfort and distress.

K1-B0 refuses to look up. They’ve clamped their hands tightly over their ears, teeth gritted in pain. 

“Kokichi Ouma has just made a very great deduction! He had the audience figured out way before anybody else! How about it, guys?” The Director announces triumphantly. The crowd roars. Himiko very audibly begs them to be quiet, but is drowned out.

Kokichi fakes a snore, jerking “awake” suddenly, “Hm? Where am I?”

“He’s also gotten K1-B0 all figured out,” The Director adds, “While we’re at it, can we pan over to Tsumugi? It seems she’s here with us, as well.”

 _BOO!_ The crowd screams, the rumble low and jarring. Tsumugi smirks sarcastically and almost sorrowfully, eyes glancing down at her red podium. They hated her. They hated the cosplayer. They hated the _mastermind_ . It almost gave Tenko hope, in some backwards way. Maybe, if the audience despised their own mastermind _this_ much, they disliked the killing game as well. But the realization came quickly that if they disliked the killing game as much as the Aikido Master hoped they did, this whole ordeal wouldn’t have been happening in the first place.

“Wha-- Ey, isn’t she the _mastermind_? Why the hell are they being so…. So…” Kaito tries to piece together, voicing Tenko’s own concerns. The astronaut doesn’t finish his sentence. He dissolves into voicelessness like the rest of his classmates.

“Wh-What? Who are these people!?” Himiko demands.

“They’ve all been watching this killing game transpire,” Tsumugi answers, to the dismay of the Director. She seemed so much _louder_ now after her strenuous period of silence, ringing in Tenko’s ears, “Of course, this is only a fraction of the total viewers. It’s just like Shuichi said. This was all arranged because people want to see it.”

Shuichi winces at the mention of his name. He was too bewildered by the scene around him, skin pale and mouth hanging wide open. He’s ready to collapse any second now. It’s just one awful discovery and straight to the next. 

“Yep! Everybody in the outside world watches this game,” The Director confirms again. Kokichi’s smile stretches. Out of pride? Out of stress? Either way it’s unsettling, “We created this Ultimate Real Fiction to appeal to the chaos they so desperately need. Their peaceful lives are so boring. This game spices things up, isn’t that right?”

The audience shrieks. The class covers their ears once more.

“I can’t-- I can’t under--” The Ultimate Robot slaps the palm of their hand against their temple, “ _It’s too loud--_ Please, _be quiet_ \--!”

At the robot’s request, the Director waves his hand and the audience quietens down, almost as if somebody had slowly lowered the volume dial. Once the crowd silenced, the robot seemed to become much less distressed.

Shuichi takes immediate notice, “Hey-- Why did--”

“Ah, Mister Ultimate Detective seems to know what I’m talking about!” The Director turns towards the camera, “Now, I should mention that Kokichi has yet to tell anybody about what exactly he knows.”

“K1-B0… can you… _hear_ the audience?”

“Your inner voice…” Himiko gasps, coming to the realization herself, “...You kept mentioning your inner voice…!”

The Ultimate Robot stutters and stammers, desperately attempting to piece together some form of solution that would make sense, but nothing logical emerged. Kokichi has the audacity to smile, almost confidently, proud of himself for reaching this conclusion. And now that Tenko is able to fully grasp the situation, everything just seemed to become much clearer.

The Aikido Master turns over towards the cosplayer, “They… _did_ try to kill you. But only because that was what the _audience wanted_.”

The crowd begins shouting once more from the screens. They agree. They _wanted_ Tsumugi to die. And K1-B0 would be the one to do it.

“ _That’s_ an interference,” Maki grits, still insistent on the negotiation despite this massive turn of events. She is deliberately avoiding making eye contact with any of the screens, her eyes drilling intently on the Director’s, “You have to take responsibility for them. _They_ interfered _just as much as_ \--”

“Please, Maki. Give it up now. We’ve already made up our minds. We only said it was a negotiation to get you here,” The Director replies, “Well, I mean, I suppose you’re negotiating who _else_ is dying, but…”

Tenko can feel her heart drop. They’ve already… made up their minds? They’ve already decided that Tenko should die? That doesn’t seem fair. That _wasn’t fair._ This whole thing was a ruse, some silly decoy to get them all out of the hidden room and into the courtroom where they were able to manipulate whatever they wanted without fail. They never had a chance.

She never had a chance.

Her lungs are restricting. It feels like oxygen is growing increasingly more and more sparse, her head spinning in complete circles. She is desperately trying to prevent hot tears from spilling over her cheeks, furious beyond words but embarrassed to be crying on live television. Her fate is sealed, the decision already made, her death imminent and impossible to prevent.

K1-B0 is having just as much fun as Tenko was. They were gaping, hands vibrating at their sides, swallowing the information as roughly as possible. They had unconsciously attempted to murder somebody. Even if that somebody was the mastermind, it still was incredibly out of character for the Ultimate Robot. The only sounds they were emitting were disgruntled gargles from the back of their throat, hands returning back over their ears, desperately trying to block out the noise.

“...Then what’s the point?” Maki retorts bitterly, “Kokichi is right, we can just _refuse_ to participate.”

“Yeah! I _am_ right!” Kokichi pouts, over-exaggerating a yawn and a stretch, “We just won’t vote! How boring woul--”

“You’re wrong.”

The Ultimate Supreme leader pauses, his lips sealing into a thin line, “...Excuse me?”

“I said you’re wrong,” The Director shrugs rather unseriously, “I gave you the chance to tell me what exactly was happening, and you’re wrong.”

For the first time in what seems like forever, the entire room comes to a striking halt. The screens simmer into complete silence, the audience holding their breaths as they inhale the supreme leader’s stoic reaction. Tenko was taken aback. Everything that came out of Kokichi’s mouth sounds entirely logical and rather sensible in this situation, and had basically been proven by the Director himself at this point. 

Maki squints harshly, “...But he got everything about the audience right--”

“And K1-B0!” Himiko adds. The Ultimate Robot does not have anything to input, “He got K1-B0 right, too! And the world outside isn’t destroyed, so we can all go home and--”

“Oh, no no no. That’s still not happening,” The Director waves away, “Forget about that outside world, yeah? It wants nothing to do with you.” _It wants nothing to do with you._ That particular phrase stung in Tenko’s ears, vibrating through her entire body painfully, “This is your world now. _Danganronpa_ is your world now!”

Screams. The audience chant and screech, as if cued by that name.

“What do you…? What do you mean by…?” The words flood out of Tenko’s mouth with no real purpose or meaning.

The logos previously displayed switch to another, longer title card. **_Danganronpa V3_ ** **,** it reads in bold lettering.

“What...is this…?” Maki queries out loud. There’s a tremor in her normally unwavering voice.

“Danganronpa!” The Director reads out loud, as if the kids couldn’t just read what was on the screen, “Couldn’t you tell? It’s the title of the current Danganronpa you guys are doing. Danganronpa has gone on for so long because everybody enjoys and supports it!”

The audience screams again. Maki visibly flinches and snaps her head around, shouting a very agitated, “ _Be quiet!”_

Himiko furrows her eyebrows, “Huh…? How long has it gone on…?”

“Well… Shuichi, what do you think?” The Director quickly diverts.

Shuichi sighs heavily. _Please, not now_ , he’s implying nonverbally, “...What do you mean?”

“What number killing game is this? What season do you _think_ we’re on?” The Director says, his smile crooked. He’s making some sort of _game_ out of this, putting on a spectacle for his audience, “You should be able to tell from the logo.”

The detective takes a long, generous look at the logo. It seems fairly obvious, _too_ obvious. He nearly answers immediately, mouthing the word “three” under his breath, but the word is very quickly cut short.

“Could this be…” Shuichi mumbles, before exclaiming his final answer rather irritatedly, “...The _53rd season?”_

“ _53!?!?”_ Kaito shouts, as if his brain has limited his sentences to a maximum of three words.

“Ding, ding! Correct! This is the 53rd season of Danganronpa!” At the Director’s words, the logo flashes, switching the **_V_ ** to an even more horrifying **_5_ **, “In other words, Danganronpa V3’s official name is Danganronpa 53!”

 _53! 53! 53!_ The audience chants in unison.

“This is way too much…” Tenko breathes exhaustingly, hands clutching her head, “Just-- _Slow down for a second--_ ”

“Trapped in a fictional, Danganronpa-inspired world, and forced to play the killing game… That is what the world desired from you. The reason we made this world… the reason you guys did the killing game… it’s all because the outside world wants it, you know?” The Director monologues, bypassing the Aikido Master’s extreme distress, “And since it has been so wonderfully _destroyed_ \--” The last word was spat at Tenko, as if she was the sole cause, “We have to adapt.”

“You’ve done this… _53 times_ …?” Himiko asks shakily, “...How do you keep acquiring _all_ of these _people_ for your sick game!?”

“It’s a lot easier than you might think,” The businessman chides, “In fact, that’s a big part of what the final reveal actually--”

Rather uncharacteristically, Shuichi suddenly slams his hands down on his podium, sick and tired of the situation he was in currently, “Shut up. Shut _up!_ You created an _entire fictional world…_ to make us do this _fictional killing game!?”_

Tenko can’t remember Shuichi ever growing _this_ angry. It honestly scared her a little. However, it was perfectly called for. He had learned Kaede was innocent maybe forty minutes ago, with not _nearly_ enough time in between for him to fully comprehend any of the situation in front of him before being completely thrown into another loop. He’s not the only of his classmates who was suffering greatly; K1-B0 was borderline malfunctioning out of crippling guilt, Kaito was still yelling and shouting with no real purpose, Himiko was trembling and hiding herself from view.

The Aikido Master can’t help but stare helplessly at the screens, her vision beginning to fog and blur with confused, overwhelmed tears. She rapidly creates a visor out of her hands, shielding her emotions from the now prying audience, refusing to allow her shoulders to jolt and squeezing her eyes shut before any tears could fall. She won’t cry in front of these people. 

No matter how hopeless the situation is, no matter how inevitable her own death may seem, she will _not cry in front of these people._

When she looks up again, Shuichi is still ranting, “It’s-- It doesn’t make _sense!_ You’re hurting _innocent people!_ It doesn’t matter _how_ much you make up, it doesn’t matter _how_ many false memories you implant! _We_ are still _real--_ ”

He’s cut off before he could finish. The world seems to become chillingly still, the air cold against Tenko’s skin, which was originally hot with fury and overbearing emotion. It’s as if somebody had flipped some metaphorical switch, as if somebody had frozen time itself. A pin dropping could sound like a nuclear explosion. A stray breath could sound like a feral hurricane.

The Director leans forward, smile wicked and spine-chilling.

“Are you sure about that?” He asks.


	39. or did it eat the little girl?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 4 of the trial. the big reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the final trial but every time the director opens his mouth it gets worse

“...What?”

The one question hangs in the silence, which was growing increasingly tense as time progressed. Tense and almost awkward. Like somebody had told a joke in poor taste.

“You are _very_ certain about that fact,” The Director continues despite the class wishing heavily against it, “But can you be completely certain?”

“E-Either way, I don’t want to do this anymore,” Himiko interjects, logic flying out of the window in place of exasperation. It’s getting to the point where they weren’t even trying to give facts, they just wanted to _leave_ , “Just let us go _home_ already!”

“That’s impossible. Didn’t I tell you that you have no homes to go back to?”

“What!? Why the hell not!?” Kaito demands impatiently. 

The Director shrugs his shoulders theatrically, creating a scene for the audience to marvel at, “You only exist in the world of Danganronpa. Is that not simple enough for you to understand?”

“Do you _want_ to die?” Maki warns at the businessman’s playful jab.

“Teehee, funny joke, Mister Director Guy!” Kokichi dismisses childishly, eyes crinkling with a wide smile, “But you really shouldn’t lie, you know.”

The Director smirks, throwing his hands in the air in a nonchalant manner, “What makes you think I’m lying, Kokichi? Have I lied to you at any point during this trial?”

The Ultimate Supreme Leader replies only with a sarcastic chuckle. The atmosphere relaxes darkly, most of the class forcing themselves to acknowledge it as some cruel joke. Still, Tenko could feel her shoulders tense, rising upwards towards her ears, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her entire body felt increasingly heavier, her stomach in complete knots. She could sense something horrible creeping through the walls and up through her spine, could feel the foreboding atmosphere opening its jaws to swallow her whole. She’s not sure if she’s ready, and she can’t even distinguish what she’s not ready for. 

“What are you saying?” Himiko questions skeptically, eyes squinted in suspicion, “That _we’re_ not real?”

“Yes. Exactly,” The Director nods matter-of-factly.

Kaito snorts sardonically, arms folded. At his laughter, Shuichi himself also begins curling his lips upwards in a dubious, cynical manner. 

“ _Sure,”_ The detective responds sarcastically, “But seriously, Kokichi is right, if this entire trial is led by _entertainment_ then we could just not participate-”

“If I explain to you just why that wouldn’t be possible, would you listen to me?”

Shuichi’s faint smile drops immediately, “What do you mean, ‘not possible’?”

“You’ve already figured out K1-B0, right?” The Director continues with little flare. The atmosphere drops heavily once more, any sarcasm immediately sucked out of the room, “It works as a medium for the watchers. No matter if everybody else refuses to vote, the watchers still will inevitably make K1-B0’s decision.” 

Kokichi huffs dramatically as the rest of his classmates process this new information with dread, “Dang it, K1-B0! Always have to screw things up, huh? Huh? Huh?”

He glances over at the motionless robot. K1-B0 hasn’t spoken in a while now, their eyes glazed over and blank, irises erased. They were processing. Completely immobile. Lifeless. Kokichi tried waving his hand in front of them for a reaction but received nothing in return. It only made the Director’s words sting more; K1-B0 was seeming more and more complacent, no longer their own entity but rather a tool used by the same killing game that kidnapped them.

The Director hums under his breath, “And if everybody refuses to vote, then whoever the audience votes for will be the majority ruling.”

_So don’t try_ , is basically what he’s saying. _Don’t try, because it’s hopeless for you._

It’s fury. It’s fury that Tenko is feeling, one characterised by flaming tears prickling the corner of her eyes and fists clenched so tightly her nails dig trenches into her palms. She’s morphing away from patience, away from this fear of death attached to her and towards pure resentment. They were so close. They were _so_ close. If it hadn’t been for this stupid audience, for this stupid _sacrifice_ , then they all could have refused to participate and called it a night. But no, the audience is hell bent on murdering the Aikido Master, and one other nameless person who would go down with her.

And she knows Himiko will volunteer to be that second victim. If Tenko is sacrificed, then Himiko will go down with her, no matter how hard the Aikido Master kicked and screamed and begged her not to.

The Director does not stop there, “But sacrificing two people shouldn’t be too hard, considering there’s nothing for you to go back to. Your homes don’t exist in the real world.”

“What the hell are you on!?” Kaito groans, running his hands over his face in exasperation, “Just give it up, already--!”

“This is it, Kaito,” The Director replies. His voice oozes with false sympathy, smile soft and sickeningly sweet, “This is the big reveal! And it will only go as smoothly as you make it.”

“You’ve already _revealed_ enough, can we _please_ get back on track!?” Himiko suggests sharply, adding another strained, “ _Please?”_ to further accentuate her point. 

Something in her tone implies severe desperation. Perhaps the Ultimate Mage was now coming to terms with the fact that Tenko would not be getting out of this trial alive. The fact had already begun seeping into the Aikido Master herself.

There’s no reply. The class can’t get back on track when there’s no _track_ in the first place. Tenko’s jaw was clenched tightly closed, so tightly that she was afraid she might chip a tooth.

“What do you--” Shuichi stops himself to inhale deeply, eyes squeezed shut, “What do you mean, we’re not… _real._ ”

“Well, think about it, Shuichi. You’ve figured out already that we could use flashback lights to implant false memories,” The Director says, “Who’s to say we didn’t just… say… implant false _personalities_?”

“Impossible! I am super unique!” Kokichi justifies, a smile spreading to his ears.

“W-We are not fictional!” Himiko screams in bewilderment, her voice wavering with slight uncertainty, “We’re living, breathing people! And that’s why we’re not letting you _kill us!!”_

Her class loudly agrees with her. The noise covers the creeping sensation of doubt.

“Well, you weren’t like this when you first came to the Ultimate Academy,” As the Director’s explanation dragged on, Tenko could feel the sinking feeling grow wider, hungrier. Bile was rising through her throat, “Those were you true selves! But now you’re all just fictional characters.”

The Director stares, his eyes hollow and his expression blank behind his smile. The audience is muttering, as if holding silent conversations between themselves, their hisses like venom in the Aikido Master’s ears. The silence is heavy, weighted and unpleasant. Tenko refused to acknowledge any discussion of their existence, was in no way, shape, or form willing to cooperate with this hideous fiction talk. She just wanted to go home. She only wanted to go home.

It was denial. Denial and loathing. It raked through her body and refused to leave.

“That is the truth. That’s the **big reveal!** ” The Director continued, arms gesturing theatrically, “So, what about? Pretty epic, huh?”

The audience screeches so suddenly that Tenko flinches, jolting violently. She is slowly starting to pick up specific phrases, is able to adjust her hearing to focus just briefly enough on one person. “ _53! 53! 53!”_ Ten or twenty people scream in a chant at once. “ _This reveal sucks!”_ Another, less enthusiastic audience member continues to repeat, “ _43 was better!”_

“You expect us to believe this!?” Maki hisses loudly, the volume of the audience decreasing. The crowd does not shut up, however, distracting the Aikido Master greatly, “You expect us to stand here and believe you!?”

“You-- You said we ‘weren’t like this when we first came to the Ultimate Academy’--” Shuichi asks, rushed and increasingly worried, “What do you mean?”

The Director smiles. It’s too sweet. Too _friendly._ Tenko had never trusted his endearing personality.

“You’re just normal, average, everyday people. With no Ultimate talent whatsoever.”

The sentence knocks the air out of her. _No… Ultimate talent?_ The phrase stings, tumbling through her brain and against her skull. There’s no way. There’s no _way._ Tenko knows who she is, she _knows_ how much hard work and dedication it took to reach this Ultimate status. Her years of training, of gruesome nights and mornings of pure fighting and discipline, would not be crushed and mangled by some baseless claim. Her staggering doubt and hesitation is roughly beaten back into place by her unrelenting denial.

She finds herself staring down at her aikido gi, a testament to her years of discipline and training, a testament to her _Ultimate talent_. It felt itchy now. Unbearable against her skin. She wanted nothing more than to throw it off. Himiko, who had been so desperately clinging to her witch hat, in some vague hope it would shield her from the audience’s prying eyes, had slowly begun to lower her hands back down to their sides.

“Excusez moi?” Kokichi queries innocently.

“When you guys came to this academy for the first time… You were just boring, everyday high school students. Average students with absolutely no talent,” Throughout the Director’s explanation, Tenko could hear Kaito mumbling under his breath repeatedly. _Jesus Christ,_ the astronaut was hissing, eyebrows furrowed, _Jesus Christ_ , “But boring, everyday characters have no right to be in Danganronpa. So you were all made more suitable for your new roles.”

He waves his hand and a handful of screens begin to fill with new images. Drawings. _Costume designs_. Tenko squints in horror as she catches an eyeful of her own uniform. It had been designed to a tee with what she had been wearing throughout the duration of her stay in the academy.

“Everyone remembered thanks to the first Flashback Light,” Nobody had signaled for the Director to continue, but he did anyway. The class was too concentrated on the costume design, “You were all given personalities, talents, and upbringings to create you characters.”

_Given_ personalities!? _Given_ upbringings!? There was no way in hell that Tenko had been _implanted_ with her childhood. She knew how she grew up. She _knew_ how she grew up. 

“Which means your Ultimate talents are all just fiction.”

Maki’s eyes are wide, her mouth opened in what seems to be shock, “...Our talents… as well?”

Tenko has just realized what that meant for Maki. For the _Ultimate Assassin._ Sharp pangs of sympathy made themselves visible in the Aikido Master’s face. If their talents were never _real_ … then all of that trauma, all of the pain and suffering she had gone through….

She shakes her head. No. Stop thinking like that. It is _real_ . It is _real_ and Maki suffered because of it. It is _real_ it is _real_ it is _real._

“Yep!” The Director confirms chirpily. Tenko scowls deeply, “Your talents are a bunch of lies. I mean… I guess they suited you to a certain extent, but mostly in an ironic or placebo effect sort of way, y’know? Kinda like a form of autosuggestion. You know, like if you do it, it’ll all work out,” He pauses his monologue to chuckle to himself, too giddy for a situation like this, “But I mean…. _Some_ of them we just had a blast with, you know what I’m saying--”

“No, actually, we don’t!” Kokichi replies chirpily, eyes still wide and unblinking. Is… Is he growing nervous?

“--But it’s not _just_ your talents. It’s your personalities, families, memories…” The Director gives a cheeky smile, as if he had been caught in a lie, “All fiction. All fiction created by the flashback light.”

Kaito again laughs sardonically, amethyst irises dark and unbelieving. Kokichi is snickering under his breath, but his eyes are much wider. Tenko is forcing herself to doubt the Director’s wild accusation, but can’t will herself to laugh no matter how sarcastic. Everyone shares the same bewilderment, however varied, with nobody necessarily taking the claim seriously. They knew exactly who they were, knew what was fake and what wasn’t. And besides, they still have one more defense up their sleeve.

“So can you really say you’re not fiction now?” The Director quips.

Shuichi shakes his head, facial expression filled with disdain, “We know just how the flashback lights work. We _know_ which memories had been given to us and which ones weren’t. Besides, you tried to do the exact same thing with Tenko and Himiko--”

“That wasn’t permanent,” The Director interjects, “...Come on, Shuichi. Even you knew that! That light was a work in progress. The flashback light we used for you all was permanent.”

“But _we_ are real!” Kaito objects, “Cause we can get hurt and shit! You can’t do that if you’re not _real--_ ”

“Even if your body is real, your identities, personalities, talents, and past are all fiction. Think _long_ and _hard_ about this. Aren’t your childhoods a little…. Out there? Even you have to admit that most of the backstories we gave you wouldn’t exactly be considered _normal_.”

One glance at her classmates would confirm his point; An assassin who was raised on murder, an Aikido Master who was a preteen vigilante, a magician who “defeated” her Master and claimed her title in his place, a supreme leader with an unknown organization of supposedly hundreds of people. Her deceased classmates told the same story: a former tennis pro who single-handedly took down the mafia, an entomologist who was raised by wolves, an artist that was deemed God’s prophet by her island.

Intransigence chokes Tenko, denial running rampantly through her body. She refuses to acknowledge it, but others were beginning to show signs of doubt. Maki must have been hit the hardest, her normally stoic demeanor faltering, her hands clutching the podium. Shuichi was desperately shaking his head, as if on the belief that if he were to physically shake his head enough times he might just be able to fully convince himself not to doubt his existence.

“What...are you babbling about?” Himiko chokes with severe contempt, “Our identities, personalities, talents, and past are all _fictional?_ That’s _stupid!”_

“It’s not stupid!” The Director chuckles, “Isn’t this what you all wanted?”

At his final line, Tenko can’t help but let out an embittered scoff. 

The Director perks an eyebrow. The audience released a low _ooooh_ sound, rumbling unpleasantly in Tenko’s gut.

“You seem a little angry, Tenko,” The Director points out.

Something about his tone set Tenko off. Her increasing fury suddenly erupts, her helpless tears practically evaporating into thin air.

“ _Of course_ , I’m _angry!_ ” She spits harshly, leaning over her bright red podium, “You haven’t given us a fair chance this _entire_ trial-- You haven’t given _me_ a chance _at all!!”_ The audience hiss and sputter. They don’t like her speaking, they don’t agree with her anger. It only made the Aikido Master’s blood boil even more rapidly, her fists slamming against her counter, “And then as soon as we come up with something, you try to convince us we aren’t _real!?_ It’s _ridiculous!”_

The audience roars with chants and heckles. Himiko narrows her eyes, scowling at them with an embittered yell of, “Hey! _Be quiet!”_

“And-- And now you want to blame _us!?_ ” Tenko fumbles, slightly jarred by the crowing audience, but quickly regains footing, “You threw us into this death game, where we were forced to _kill each other,_ and now you’re trying to tell us we _wanted this!?”_

“Yeah, you wouldn’t remember, but you guys were all from the outside world,” The Director continues, as if Tenko’s anger meant nothing to him, “It’s not strange at all that you’d want to be a part of a show you love.”

Shuichi blinks his head still shaking, “No way. You’re saying we _wanted_ to be a part of this killing--”

“What a load of crap!!” Kaito shouts gruffly, fist hitting his palm, “Quit this whole _fiction_ nonsense, you’re really starting to piss me off!”

“Wait, you’re--” Kokichi initially begins his statement without his signature grin, however very quickly reverts back into his buoyant persona, “This is so _meaannnnnn_ …. Trying to convince us we’re faaaaaake….” He pouts, waving his hands childishly, “O-Only _I_ am allowed to lie to my friends!!”

“That’s not possible!” The detective bounces of him, practically overlapping as he faces the Director, “Why would-- That’s just _not possible--_ ”

“This whole thing is stupid,” Maki was repeating, to nobody in particular, “This is so _stupid--_ ”

The class reaches its peak once more, with practically every student shouting and insulting and snarling and growling, in every direction and at every opposer, yelling so loudly at once that their words morphed into one clamorous blob. Tenko was screaming. Screaming so loudly her throat was beginning to hurt. Screaming for her life, screaming for a _chance_. Screaming for some vague hope that had been crushed as soon as she saw that damn red light, had been mangled as soon as the Director told them there was no way she would ever make it out of this alive. She was not about to go down without a fight.

She was Tenko Chabashira, a _real, living human being,_ who was _not_ about to go down without kicking and shrieking the whole way there.

Tsumugi was so silent it hurt Tenko’s ears. Her silence pierced through the screeching audience, through the hollers and cries of her classmates. Her voicelessness was more harrowing than all of her classmate’s combined. Tenko was praying, to some force unseen, that the cosplayer’s silence did not mean she was confirming anything. She’s not ready to give in just yet, not ready to accept her entire personality and begin was faked and artificially implanted. No matter how loud the voice in the back of her head grew, warning her and telling her that maybe, just _maybe_ , the Director was telling the truth. That maybe, when she took a step back, her boisterous and man-hating personality seemed unrealistic compared to the average person. 

Her hands are shaking. She’s trying to tell herself it’s rage, but she knows deep down it’s fear. Fear of the truth.

“Tenko is right, you’re just trying to distract us!” Shuichi yells through gritted teeth. Marbles of sweat tumble down his pale forehead, his eyes harsh and unrelenting, “You saw us approaching the finish line, so you just _had_ to move it. This whole fiction thing is insane!” 

Was this his breaking point? Even if it wasn’t, he was teetering dangerously close to the edge of it. What would the Director do then? If Shuichi just straight up passes out in the middle of the discussion? What would _any_ of them do? All of these questions flicker by Tenko’s brain, replaced by the horrid sensation that if Shuichi reached his breaking point, then it was likely most of them would, too. 

“And besides, none of this can be _confirmed_ ,” The Ultimate Detective scowls deeply, teeth bared like a wild animal, “ _None_ of us would ever even _consider_ \--”

_“Number 154… My name is_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _.”_

The class silences abruptly. The voice halts them in their position, freezes them in their spots.

_“I’ve always been such a huge fan of Danganronpa and… always wanted to be in one…”_

Slowly, very slowly, the class begins to turn to the source of the voice. The screen positioned behind them, directly above the elevator, had ignited once more with another video. The audio rang across the courtroom, bounced in the corners and sang through the stained glass windows.

Playing shamelessly on the screen, in all its glory, was a video of Shuichi Saihara himself.

Tenko rubs at her eyes, in some vain hope that maybe it was a trick of the light, but no matter how hard she rubbed the video would not go away. It was undeniably Shuichi, dressed in a dark school uniform, his signature cap almost covering the entirety of his face. His haunting grey eyes stare directly at the camera, wavering for a few moments to greet the people behind the camera, but are mainly fixated on the camera in front of him. It's like this recorded Shuichi was staring directly at Tenko.

_“If I were a contestant, I would want to be… an Ultimate Detective!”_ The recorded Shuichi continues, wracking his fingers nervously. It’s a habit Tenko has seen the real Shuichi do many times, _“I know there’ve been a few in the past, and I’ve always loved those characters… So I would want to be one of them.”_

Tenko can hear Himiko inhaling sharply from next to her. Shuichi, the _real_ Shuichi, stands completely motionless, his jaw to the floor. His classmates are just as still, with varying levels of distress and confusion visible on their faces.

_“Ah, but, I don’t have to be a detective,”_ The recorded Shuichi backtracks, waving his hands with a wide, horrifying smile, _“And I mean that._ Anything _. I’d do_ anything _to be a part of Danganronpa. I promise, if I get selected, I will work as hard as I can!”_ The real Shuichi releases a confused garble from the back of his throat, _“I will come up with the best, most gruesome murders, I promise! Everyone will love it! And an Ultimate Detective hasn’t been the blackened yet, so I’m sure I can do that! I’m also thinking about the perfect punishment for an Ultimate Detective, and--”_

The Director clicks a button, and the video pauses. The recorded Shuichi’s haunting, horrid smile is forever frozen on screen, gawked at in pure horror by the remaining classmates.

Nobody moves. Nobody speaks. Nobody _breathes._ They all stare at the screen with wide, unblinking eyes. Tenko’s bottom lip trembles in pure horror, pure revulsion. Evidence was the thing she had begged for, but now wished so deeply she had never seen. She would give anything to go back to ten minutes ago when she hadn’t discovered this horrid, horrid video.

“That was your first audition,” The Director narrates, shuffling around his desk and clicking a few buttons. Preparing for more, “You went through a few more rounds, of course, but that first one always stuck with us. We had a flash of inspiration, you see. The _weakest Ultimate Detective ever_. Wouldn’t it be great to see him grow?” 

The audience roars. For once, they receive no reaction from the class.

“That’s when we made your character and had you join the gang,” The Director continues, “...So, what about it? Cool, huh?”

Shuichi’s mouth had closed, but he’s still staring outwards. His doppelganger stares right back at him. His arms are vibrating at his sides.

“I need to….” Before he could finish his sentence, his knees buckle from under him and he just very barely manages to catch himself against his podium, very slowly sinking to the floor, “...I-I need to sit down….”

The Director ignores the detective, despite appearing so concerned about his wellbeing a few moments prior to this reveal, “The rest of you are no different. You auditioned and were selected as well.”

“... Auditioned…?” Himiko whispers in shock, eyes still fixated on the Shuichi doppelganger.

“Yep! You were all _so_ excited when you were selected. I believe it was right after you all received your Ultimate Wardrobe,” The Director waves his hand, “Ooh! Hold on, we have the video.”

“Wait--” Himiko tries to halt.

It’s too late. Another video plays, this time on a screen positioned the right of the courtroom. The class has assembled, _all_ of them, wide smiles brimming on their faces and excited chatter rippling through the video.

_“H-Huh? Wh-What am I wearing?”_ Is all Tenko needs to hear of Kaede’s voice before she hopelessly clamps her hands over her ears. She can still hear her rapidly accelerating heartbeat, her breath shortening and her lungs burning with a fire so deadly the smoke strangled her.

“This-- It’s-- _That’s--_ ” Kaito sputters, “I don’t have any memory of _that--_ ”

“You just forgot, is all. Cuz of the Flashback Light we used on you. The people you used to be are gone. You’re fictional characters now,” The Director inhales before continuing, “Do you finally understand? You’re all flesh-and-blood fictional characters. So you got nowhere to return! All that stuff’s fiction, too!”

From the other side of the line of podiums, Maki releases a noisy exhale, her eyes drilling holes into the counter in front of her as she rocks unsteadily on her podium, “Why did you…? Why did you make me a…? Why--”

“Hold on--” Kokichi says. Tenko looks over at him, internally begging to see his familiar grin, _something_ that would tell her this was all a bunch of lies. All that greets her is a frozen look of bewilderment. It’s the most distressed the Aikido Master has ever seen the Ultimate Supreme Leader, and he was perhaps the least expressive out of the class currently, “Hold on, _hold on_ \--”

There would be no pausing to regain their footing. The class has begun their downwards spiraling, and there was no telling how far they would reach. Shuichi has yet to disconnect from his intense staring competition between himself and the horrifying clone on the screen in front of him, his knees slowly reclining under his chin. A broken, broken image of a horrified teenager. This is the breaking point.

Himiko’s head whips back and forth between the recorded Shuichi, the video of the class jumping and squealing in glee after being selected for a _killing_ game, and the Director himself, “Th-Then… Wait-- My friends and family… My whole life before coming here…-”

“Yep! Fiction. That’s… what a backstory is,” The businessman explains, “You can’t go back home! Because there is _no such place_ ! The only place that fictional characters can live in is the fictional world. Only in this world. **Only in Danganronpa.** ”

“Only… in this world…?” Maki echoes, holding no strength to coherently form her own thoughts.

The Director nods, “Yes! The place you are _actually_ trapped in is the Danganronpa world! That’s why guys can’t leave this place. That’s why your _only option_ is to continue the killing game here. You’re all fictional characters created to kill each other. It’s what the world wants!”

“That’s why… there’s nowhere to run,” Tsumugi mumbles, still loud enough to be heard. 

_Nowhere….to….._

It’s the first time in what seems like forever that Tenko’s brain was rendered completely voiceless. There’s truly no noise, no objection. It’s almost peaceful in some warped, horrid, _fucked up_ way. An unspeakable chill runs straight up her spine and through her throat, piercing her windpipes. Not even denial can find its voice now, her thoughts completely empty and her head blank, barren. 

Everything about her feels hollow. Increasingly meaningless. Her own childhood ripped away from her, deemed fictional and falsified. She’s forgotten how to breathe. Every few seconds she wheezes, her lung constricting manually, reminding her to inhale. She’s real. This isn’t-- She’s _real_ . She’s _real._

Himiko blinks. A few stray tears stream down her cheeks, but they are frantically wiped away, “Enough… I don’t want to know anything else! I’ve had _enough!”_

“Could it be… you fell into _despair?”_ The Director smirks. The audience ate the word ‘despair’ up like they had never been fed in their lives. Their howls only grow louder and louder, “It’s times like these you need to look to your friends for support. Oop-!” He chuckles to himself, tapping his palm against his forehead as if he had forgotten something idiotically, “I forgot… All of your friends are fictional, too.”

“ _Shut up,_ ” Maki is hissing, head in her hands as she shakes her head rapidly, “Shut up, shut up, _shut up!”_

“Would you really like me to, Maki? This applies to you! You and your astronaut friend,” The Director says, “I mean, even Kaito’s illness was given to him as part of his character.”

“Kaito’s--”

Everybody’s head snaps towards the amethyst teen, who refused to meet anybody’s eyes. A complicated glance flickers through his expression. The slow, painful realization of hopelessness and dread dragged down the teenager, a vile juxtaposition between his normally optimistic demeanor. So he _did_ have an illness. One that was never explained. One that he had never admitted to _anybody_ , not even Maki herself. The assassin did nothing but glare, dread mixed with a flippant initial reaction of ‘ _I knew it’_ spreading across her features.

“That was Tsumugi’s idea, I believe,” The Director adds salt to the wound. The cosplayer shrinks, “She came up with the plotline to give him the virus! Didn’t end up killing him, though. Such a bummer, it would have been a Danganronpa first.”

For maybe once in his life, Kaito is left completely speechless. Maki has now transitioned from anger and instead settled on wide-eyed sympathy and unease. 

The Director buzzes in remembrance, “Oh, actually, on that note, Tsumugi was also the one who came up with the plotline where you fell for Kaito!”

The audience emits a high-pitched _oooooh!_ , like a pack of middle schoolers who had just been told a juicy secret.

Maki’s head snaps back towards the screen in horror. Desperately, almost like she was _embarrassed_ to have her feelings revealed so publicly, she swings her gaze back and forth between her classes before the statement fully sinks in. Fully roots itself in her gut.

“You’re saying…” Her voice is breathy, weak and frail, “...You’re saying that you… _made me_ fall… in love with him…?”

“Yes,” The Director nods with false sympathy. Kaito’s mouth drops open almost comically, “That was your character. A character created to bring excitement to the killing game.”

“Woah-- Hold on--” Kaito's wavering voice makes Tenko’s skin crawl. She had never thought she would wish for his brash confidence to come back, “E-Even our _feelings_ are--”

“My feelings were all _lies?_ ” Maki is surely crying now. Even if Tenko didn’t have the strength to move her head from where it was positioned, she didn’t need to look at the assassin to know she was choking back tears. 

They believe the Director. They _believe_ him.

“Well, if you’re going to call fiction a lie… then yes. Your personalities were constructed through the flashback light, and a script was developed based on accurate predictions of how your character would react to specific events,” The Director explains, “We specifically developed you two lovebirds to fall in love. Kaito was _supposed_ to die and leave Maki with some more character development, but whatever, I guess.”

“That’s not--” Kaito has no power left, his stutters almost pathetic, “That can’t--”

“Even that thing Kaede said that moved Shuichi’s heart? What was it… ‘ _I believe in you, so you should definitely believe in yourself’!_ So sweet, hm?” The Director snorts, “All a lie. The _real_ Kaede said…”

The screen again flickers on, one to the left of him. In it, an exact copy of the late Kaede, her lavender eyes piercing into the camera, a grey uniform replacing her original pink outfit.

_“I’m perfect for a killing game,”_ The recorded Kaede chirps, _“I don’t have any faith in humanity.”_

Shuichi makes a noise but it’s muffled in Tenko’s ears.

“And how about Kaito, hm? His ‘anything is possible’ philosophy? Also a lie!” The businessman was not allowing any breaks, taking no pauses to breathe, “Cuz the _real_ Kaito said…”

The Kaito on the screen is terrifying, his normally lively purple irises now warped hollow and devoid of emotion, his smile massive and unbreaking.

_“I’m not just gonna be in Danganronpa, I’m gonna kill everybody and win!”_ The recorded Kaito yells, smacking his fist into his palm like the real Kaito would do, _“Once I’ve got fame and fortune, I don’t gotta worry about what’s impossible.”_

Kaito scoffs in utter disbelief, mouth moving but no words falling out. Was it anger? Shock? It was likely the latter, shock so powerful that it left his normally brash personality muted. Maki is hauntingly still next to him.

“And Tenko--”

At the mention of her name, Tenko very visibly flinches. She had forgotten for a moment that she was indeed a part of this conversation, had separated herself from the situation so intensely that it was almost as if she was an outsider looking in. _I’m not ready_ , comes a sharp thought, banging through her skull abrasively, _I’m not ready I’m not ready I’m not ready I’m not ready I’m not ready I’m not--_

“--What did you say before the seance?” The Director feigns confusion, tapping a pencil against his chin, “‘ _Keep your chin up and live life facing forward! Survive with me and everyone else!’_ Such a lovely line, isn’t it…”

“Stop,” Tenko all but begs through her teeth.

“Well, _that_ was a lie, too! Because the _real_ Tenko said--”

“ _Alright!! Enough already!!”_ Tenko shouts at him, “I’ve had _enough!!”_

He clicks a simple button, and a screen in front of her flips online.

It was her. It was undoubtedly, undeniably, indisputably her. When she stared at the screen in front of her, her own reflection stared back, like she was staring in a mirror. Everything about her appearance was copied: her long eyelashes, her warm green eyes, the small mole below her bottom lip and centered to the left. Her hair was longer, not as long as it used to be but longer than now, straightened and brushed neatly over her shoulders. She wore a grey school uniform, a royal blue tie wrapped around her collar, a black headband pushing her hair out of her face. And she looked nervous. Nervous, but overwhelmingly excited.

_“I’d give anything to get into Danganronpa_ ,” It’s her voice. Oh, _god_ , it’s her voice, except abnormally low and less passionate. The recorded Tenko flicks her gaze away from the screen, her smile small and dainty, _“So I don’t care what happens to me. You can do whatever you want with my character.”_

The doppelganger returns her gaze to the camera. In her eyes, something sullen and sorrowful. 

_“I just don’t want to be a survivor. That’s all.”_

The video pauses. The horror is absolutely unbearable. 

Tenko shutters, one last trembling breath escaping from her lips before her lungs presumably give out entirely, refusing to allow any more air into her system. She had…. _Wanted_ _to die?_ This was what her previous self had wished for? _This is what she wanted?_ All of her suffering, all of the pain and trauma she had been dragged through while in this horrid killing game, was a result of her previous self implicity stating that she _didn’t want_ to survive? When the current Tenko had fought, tooth and nail, screaming and biting the whole way, for her survival and freedom, the previous Tenko had been the one to initiate it in the first place?

What events could possibly lead a person to do something so vicious and cruel? To willingly participate in such an awful game? No matter how starstruck, no matter how much she loved a piece of _fiction,_ Tenko couldn’t comprehend ever experiencing the will to sign up for a _killing game_ . And she hated herself for it. She _hated_ herself for something she just couldn’t remember, just could not recall happening. Tenko felt the self-loathing crawling in her skin, the burning hatred stinging her at her eyes. She dragged herself into this mess. And now that she’s pulled herself here, to the present day, she can’t seem to muster the energy to pull herself out.

It’s almost like she’s underwater. The conversations around her are muffled now, blurred and morphed in her ears. The oxygen is non-existent. No matter how desperately she paddled to the surface, she would only be shoved back under the current once again. A repetitive cycle.

A cycle started by none other than _Tenko Chabashira herself._

“Aaaaaaalll fiction,” The Director gestures grandly, “It’s aaaaaaalll a lie! And it-- OH! _OH!”_

Suddenly struck with a new thought, the businessman scrambles for his console in front of him, excitedly tapping buttons. 

None of Tenko’s classmates made any movement to stop him, and did not speak up to object to him continuing the debate. Kaito and Maki were both staring outwards, completely dumbfounded, with the assassin crying silently and the astronaut glancing so quickly around the room it must be giving him a headache. K1-B0 was gone, at this point, so completely disconnected from the group that it was like they weren’t even there. It was almost as if the Ultimate Robot had been deactivated, their eyes wide and open but their presence dead and unalive.

Shuichi had given up. It was so clear. The detective was powerless, completely hopeless and wilted as he sat helplessly. His head was leaning pathetically against his podium, his eyes bulging out of his head and still staring intently at the video of his past self in front of him. Kokichi, having been so lively and vibrant just a few minutes ago, was now hauntingly silent. Sweating. Despite not saying a word, Tenko had never seen him be so honest, so raw and _vulnerable_.

Himiko was the only one with any energy left. She had her eyes squeezed close, forcing herself to inhale and exhale in rhythm, willing herself to gain the confidence to stand up to the Director, but is barely allowed to say anything before the businessman starts once more.

“ _Please,_ we’ve-- We’ve had enough, _please!”_ Is all she manages, weak and pleading.

“Ah, hope. What a fickle thing,” The Director muses, “I’m honestly surprised. Of all people I would have never thought _you’d_ be the last person standing.”

Himiko slowly turns around to glance at her motionless classmates to realize in horror that she was, in fact, the only one left who was willing to debate. The rest of them sat in shock, processing this vile information roughly. The audience applauds the redhead, as if this desperate hope was some sort of achievement. Tenko was ready to vomit. Truly. 

“But I just remembered! You and Tenko had this fun little _pact_ before you came onto this show,” He elucidates. Himiko shoots a concerned glance over the Aikido Master, who was struggling to catch up, “Here, hold on. You explained a little more in your second audition.”

_Click._

Recorded Himiko was somebody that Tenko would never willingly associate with. Her hair was mangled, her uniform too large on her body, her knuckles bruising over. In her copper eyes, something wicked. Something so sinister it sends a sharp chill down the brunette’s spine. It didn’t seem as formal as the previous audition tapes; Himiko sat in a chair, looking beyond the camera at an interviewer. 

_“Your relationship with_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _. That was your idea, right?”_ Says a voice off screen, smooth and low.

The recorded Himiko shrugs way too casually, _“Yeah, all me.”_

_“It was intriguing, certainly,”_ The shadow behind the camera shifts, and Himiko’s eyes trace it, _“I’m pretty sure that was the reason we called both of you back, even.”_

_“Well, I’m glad she’s useful for something,”_ The recorded Himiko jokes callously. The real Tenko blinks in shock at how bluntly it was said. She can’t feel her legs, _“The amount of convincing it took was just… unreal.”_

The interviewer chuckles along with her, _“Well, you do understand she’s checked off the box for victim, right? Have you had that conversation with her yet?”_

_“Oh, yeah, she’s let me know. I couldn’t care less what happens to her.”_

A pact. Their relationship had been a prewritten pact, created by none other than Himiko herself, as a plot to earn a position in this killing game. It wasn’t real. Their relationship wasn’t _real._

Himiko stares at her reflection generously, in complete disgust, before she emits a choked sob. Guilt. It hits the small girl like a train.

It’s getting _worse._ Tenko already thought she’s hit rock bottom, so why do things keep getting _worse_ for her? It leads her to question every interaction, to deny every feeling she’s ever held towards the redhead. How far does this falsity go? How long does this trail lead? She can’t breathe. To what extent does fiction end and reality start? All of her friends that she had lost, all of the innocent lives that had been taken, did they mean absolutely nothing? The reason they were here, right now, was because of _them._ Her lungs weren’t working as well as they should. The air around her is stark and minimal. They had tried so hard to live on for _them_ , had tried so hard to stay positive, but if even _they_ were a lie, then--

Oh, god. Himiko. Had their relationship meant absolutely nothing, had it been prewritten and fated for her to feel so strongly for her? Was _everything_ fake? The way her stomach flipped when she first saw her in the gym that dreaded first day of the killing game? Her exhausting endeavor to save her from the student council? Every moment of pure anxiety when Himiko had been in danger, every pang of concern and overwhelming nerves that washed through her body whenever the mage was sad or upset? She can’t _breathe._

The kiss? Oh, god, did that kiss mean _nothing?_

She can’t breathe. She’s so desperately trying to but she can’t breathe. She can’t, she can't, she _can’t._

Tenko collapses on her podium. This can’t be right. This can’t be it. This has to be some cruel, hideous joke. Please, _please_ reveal this as a joke. She’s _real._ The strong emotions she’s feeling are _real._ They’re _real!!_

“Well, how about it? You in despair yet?” Why does the Director keep talking? He’s won. He’s _won_ . _Why? Why why whywhywhywhy,_ “That’s the whole reason this killing game’s so popular after all. Why it’s gone on for 53 seasons. The audience loves to see it! See!?”

The audience screech and yell and shriek and wail and roar and hiss and they’re too loud. They’re too _loud_ they’re too _loud_ they’re _too loud._ Kaito begins screaming back at them but he is no match for their intensity. Himiko sobs louder, head hunched over her podium and buried within her arms.

Tenko can’t hear. Tenko can’t breathe. Where is she? _Who_ is she? 

Escape was truly impossible. That must be what the audience realized, much longer before Tenko or any of her classmates had. They must have known about their existences being false, being _fiction_ , much earlier than they had. They were waiting for this moment, waiting for the pin to drop, waiting for the big reveal to crush their spirits entirely and leave them with nothing.

There’s some desperate part of Tenko that was screaming in absolute denial. Some deeply rooted part of her brain, kicking and screaming in her skull. She’s Tenko Chabashira and she’s _real._ She has brown hair and green eyes and her favorite color is sky blue and she’s _real._ And she likes flowers and can’t cook pancakes and doesn’t like to hurt women no matter what the situation, not even if one of them had attacked her with a steel pipe. She throws rocks through windows when she’s angry and her wails are ugly when she’s sad. She’s brash and overzealous and way too emotional for her own good but those emotions are real. She’s _real._ She’s _REAL!_

_I’M REAL!_ She screams hopelessly, garbled nonsense spouting through her throat and pushing her last breath out of her. Nobody can hear her, _I’M REAL!_

Certain classmates are sobbing next to her and she can’t go to comfort them because she’s frozen. Petrified. Violently vibrating. Her panic is televised in front of 270 million people. Her overbearing distress is transcripted, typed carefully to another, smaller audience. 

They watch the fiction. You read the fiction. 

She _is_ the fiction.

“Can you _really_ say you’re not fiction now?” The Director chides. 

He’s had to turn himself up louder just to speak over the trumpeting audience. Noises ring endlessly, torturously, _painfully_ throughout the courtroom. They’re too loud. Kaito is too loud. Himiko is too _loud._ Shut up! Tenko begs and cries, but her silent pleas can not be heard. Her wails are simply words on a screen. Shut _up! Shut up! SHUT UP! SHE’S REAL! SHE’S REAL! SHE’S REAL! SHE’S REAL! SHE’S REAL! SHE’S_ **_REAL!_ **

Clamping her ears with trembling hands, Tenko finds the nearest camera and screeches at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bad ending.
> 
> [revive?]


	40. at last, at last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 5 of the final trial. a new protagonist emerges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's time for Notes, babeyyyyy
> 
> 1) this chapter is so long. like, a lot longer than usual. 12,239 words to be exact lololol so make sure you're taking breaks!! if your eyes hurt, give yourself a few moments away from the screen!! lmao
> 
> 2) some important TWs (all of these trigger warnings mainly apply in the first italics section): i know that pre-game tenko had pretty explicitly said she didn't want to be a survivor in the last chapter but it goes into a bit more detail in this chapter! as well as that, there is implied domestic abuse and if you squint really hard there's implied sexual assault as well, so please be careful!!!

**_[REDACTED]_ ** _stands stiffly in front of the front door, the rain pounding mercilessly against the roof over the porch._

_She had been standing like that for a few minutes now, willing herself to raise her fist and knock against the door. She was so close to doing so, but had been abruptly stopped by the muffled arguing from the other side. The brash, furious voice of a grown man collided sharply with the tinier, sharper voice of ‘Himiko’. They’ve been like this the entire time ‘Tenko’ stood at the door, and presumably much longer before that. The raised voice, belonging to the man of the household, prevented the brunette from entering and froze her in her spot._

_Before_ **_[REDACTED]_ ** _could even attempt to knock, the door opens with a disgruntled huff._

 _“Well,_ shove it up your ass! _” The redhead screams into the house, growling angrily before she slams the door shut. ‘Tenko’ flinches at the loud noise, leaving time for ‘Himiko’ to stomp out from her porch and into the harsh rain. She turns left and marches away, without another word._

_“H-Hey!” 'Tenko' calls out, frantically opening her umbrella to join the redhead in the rain, “Where are you going?”_

_The redhead does not turn around, “Out.”_

_“Out where?”_

_“Spending spree,” She raises her arm so the brunette could see just what exactly was in her hands, “Stole the fucker’s wallet.”_

_The taller girl fumbles in shock, blinking wildly at just how casually the redhead was treating this crime, “Uh, you-- You can’t just take somebody’s--”_

_“What do you want?”_

_‘Himiko’ flips around so suddenly that the brunette has to shuffle to a quick pause. The rain was in no way lightening, in fact it very much appeared as if it was growing heavier. ‘Himiko’s fiery red hair was now damp and unappealing, stuck around her face and clinging to her cheeks. Her school uniform drooped unhappily downwards, still too big on her body. There was a shine around her eye, a painfully healing new bruise._

_“I thought--” ‘Tenko’ spins the umbrella uncomfortably in her hands, awkward energy exuding from her, “I just thought that maybe… you’d want to walk with me?”_

_The unimpressed silence that followed made the brunette’s heart drop into her shoes. The smaller girl’s copper eyes bore into her, almost as if she was examining her, analysing her intently._

_“Didn’t get me an umbrella,” The redhead grumbles, eyebrows furrowed. The brunette frowns in regret, her cheeks burning._

_“Sorry, I didn’t-- I only thought of this after school, I didn’t--”_

_“Whatever. I don’t care, anyways,” She spits sharply, arms crossed as she continues to mope in the rain, “Auditions are over, so fuck off.”_

_The redhead spins on her heels and begins to trek further down the pathway. The taller girl flusters, ears turning bright red as she scuffs her heels against the pavement in order to catch up to her. With every step she takes forward, ‘Himiko’ only speeds up, until eventually the brunette has to give up._

_“Please?” ‘Tenko’ basically begs, halting in her tracks._

_The redhead also pauses, but still does not turn to face her. She’s silently demanding more of an explanation, allowing the taller girl to elucidate more on why she was so desperate for company._

_After a moment of consideration, a beat of wavering silence, the brunette answers with a silent, “...I’m not coming back.”_

_The redhead inhales, her shoulders rising with it. Even with her back turned to her, the taller girl could sense conflict in her emotion, could see the furrowed eyebrows and twitching nose as she darkly considers what was said. After a moment of consideration, fully processing the brunette’s words as well as her next, she flips around._

_“What, do you want me to throw you a pity party?” She sneers, nose upturned and arms crossed, “Boo hoo. Your life sucks. Get in line.”_

_The brunette winces, taken aback, “Well-- I mean--”_

_“Get a therapist. I don’t give a shit.”_

_“I just wanted somebody to--”_

_“Get lost! I mean it.”_

_The redhead begins walking again, leaving the taller girl in the dust. This time, ‘Tenko’ does not run after her. She stands, motionlessly, the rain smashing against her black umbrella._

_“That’s not fair,” She calls out._

_A beat of silence. The redhead turns back around._

_“Fair?” At her question, the brunette glances nervously to the side before nodding, “What a load of crap! What, you don’t get into Danganronpa so your next option is to throw yourself off a bridge? That’s not my responsibility! I’ve got my own baggage to deal with, babe!”_

_Anger flickers in the taller girl’s eyes, an emotion rather foreign boiling in her chest, “I’ve-- I’ve helped you through this entire audition process and you haven’t even_ considered _being nice to me--”_

_‘Himiko’ scowls, face darkening, “That’s because I’m not your friend.”_

_“Well_ \--”

 _“And I’m not considering it,” She continues her argument with a snarky grin, “You already have_ plenty _of friends. And all of them would care much more than I would. All_ two _of them!”_

 _“Well, that’s two more than_ you _have!” The brunette spits back._

_The redhead’s eyes widen and ‘Tenko’ knew in that moment she had made a mistake. The brunette snaps her jaw shut, almost apologetically, but very fiercely refuses to back down. After a moment of furiously glaring, the redhead begins to take long strides towards the taller girl, fists clenched and nose upturned. ‘Tenko’ recoils for a second, shrinking in defense, but quickly realizes that she is almost a foot taller than the other girl and could easily take her down in a physical brawl. What was the worst the redhead could do, kick her in the shin? The brunette would punt her so quickly into the street it’d be unreal._

_Still, ‘Tenko’ flinches. She’s not that brave._

_“Listen, bitch,” The redhead begins bluntly, pointing dangerously at the brunette’s nose. Now that she’s must closer it’s almost comical, the height difference was not doing ‘Himiko’ any favors, “We are not, and_ never _will be friends. When I say leave me alone, you leave me alone. Got it?”_

_“I know you’re upset too,” The brunette interjects, overlapping the redhead with rushed tonality, “I know you wanted to be in Danganronpa--”_

_“So? What about it!?”_

_“But couldn’t you just--” She stops herself, the words choking in her throat, “...Please?”_

_“Are you fucking deaf? We are not associated!” The redhead bites back, over-enunciating her words to fully punch in her point, “You’re being dramatic!”_

_“Dramatic!?” ‘Tenko’ squawks._

_“Dramatic!” The smaller girl parrots, “Get over yourself! Other people have issues, too!”_

_“What, like you!?”_

_“Yes!” The redhead was so close now that she was under the umbrella with ‘Tenko’, sharing the protection, “My life is fucking over now! Danganronpa was the only thing I had going for me--”_

_“Me too--”_

_“No. Not ‘me too’,” Thunder roars from next to them. The wind picked up speed, whipping the two girls in the face. Neither of them cared, “You have everything! You have friends and dance and a family who actually looks forward to seeing you! You have_ no _right to be unhappy.”_

_The statement was certainly from a place of raw emotion, but it still pained the brunette nonetheless. Her bottom lip wobbles pathetically, and she desperately attempts to freeze it before the redhead can see. She can feel her grip on the umbrella tighten, her knuckles turning white._

_With a heavy exhale, ‘Tenko’ replies with a low, “My life is_ not _perfect.”_

_The redhead scoffs, shaking her head with a deep frown. Her heels scuff rain water out of the puddles on the sidewalk and onto the brunette’s shoes. She was moving backwards, beginning to distance herself once again._

_“Alright. Not perfect,” The redhead says, “But it’s obviously been pretty smooth sailing up until this point--”_

_“No, it hasn’t. It absolutely has not.”_

_“And what about your family? Surely they don’t approve of you throwing yourself off a bridge--”_

_“They don’t-- They don’t know--” The brunette sputters angrily, her grip on the umbrella now double handed, “I never said I was going to throw myself off a bridge??? Where are you getting this from??”_

_The smaller girl’s eyes shift the side for a moment, but she quickly recollects herself, “The-- The argument still stands! This whole thing is so selfish, especially to your family--”_

_“I don’t_ want _to die,” ‘Tenko’ shouts angrily, “God, you’re so-- So mean! For no reason! What, are you_ trying _to push people away!?”_

_“I’m sorry, you don’t want to die!? Then what the hell is this all about!?” The redhead screams just as furiously back, “Why the hell were you trying to--”_

_“Because I can’t_ live like this anymore!!” _The brunette screeches, voice breaking quite embarrassingly._

_Lightning cracks a few blocks over. Thunder follows after a few heavy beats of silence. The brunette notices how ‘Himiko’ flinches at the loud noise, a sad contrast between her typically blunt and cold persona. ‘Tenko’ does not close her umbrella despite the lightning. Neither make any movement to find cover._

_After a few shaky, bitter, enraged exhales, the brunette continues, “I can’t do it. I’ve tried. I have_ tried. _But I can’t live like--” She gestures down at herself, squinting in disdain, “This! You have no clue what I’ve been through, and you have the fucking_ nerve _to call_ me selfish!?”

_For the first time since they’ve met, the redhead genuinely looks taken aback, “Well-- I--”_

_“I_ needed _Danganronpa! I needed their personality overwrite! I don’t give a shit about the actual game, and I don’t give a shit about relationships or characters or_ whatever! _I just don’t want to be me anymore! I can’t live with being afraid of everything anymore! I can’t live with-- Not being able to sleep and-- Seeing_ him _all of the time--” She takes a few furious steps forward, stomping loudly in the rain with her fists clenched. The redhead instinctively tenses and moves backwards, “Danganronpa was all I had, but now it’s gone. And now my last chance is_ gone. _I don’t_ want _to die-- In fact I’m really fucking_ scared _of dying-- But at this point I’ve got no other choice!”_

_“Knock it off!” The redhead chokes, pace quickening as she cowers backwards, “I-I get it!”_

_“No, you don’t! And I’m sick of it!” Another bolt of lightning, “I’ve been through hell and back for you and I haven’t received_ one _thank you! I’ve let you drag me along like a damn dog, and for what!? For you to treat me like garbage!?”_

_“People have treated me like that my whole life!” The redhead screams defensively, trying her hardest to muster back lost confidence, “And you’re going off at me because of a damn walk!?”_

_“It is_ so much more than that!” _The brunette hisses, “And you know it!”_

 _She hovers dangerously over the redhead, snarling angrily. The pair stand, face-to-face, underneath the taller girl’s umbrella._ _All movement has subsided except for the rise and fall of their shoulders, both panting heavily. '_ _Tenko’ can feel water running down her cheeks, but she knows it isn’t the rain._

_It was the last time either would see each other again. They both realize this slowly, their expressions softening but their gazes unwavering. The brunette despises how her bottom lip trembles, despises her runny nose that forces her to cover her face with her hands. She’s pathetic. She’s weak. She’s everything she despises, everything she wanted to overwrite in this killing game._

_She’s everything that ‘Himiko’ refused to admit she was, as well. The timid personality the redhead had shoved down through her throat, down her chest, carefully avoiding the heart area. The persona she shoved down her body and into her feet, crushing it with every step. Both of them were so desperate for escape, so desperate to flee their sad lives and overwrite their memories with flamboyant, exaggerated personalities. The brunette pleaded to be stronger. The redhead, somebody important._

_The longer they stared at each other the more sympathy flooded into their veins. The anger had evaporated, dripped away with the rain, and suddenly they were just looking at each other. As if for the first time. The brunette looks into the smaller girl’s copper eyes, her right one shining with a bruise, and suddenly finds warmth. An emotion that had never been evident in the redhead before. Not fondness, necessarily. Not loyalty or any showing of friendship._

_A mutual understanding._

_They were so, so tired._

_The redhead allows the taller girl to finish sobbing, waiting patiently for her tears to simmer down before she rather tiredly begins speaking once more. The brunette can’t distinguish if the water running down the smaller girl’s cheeks is rain water or really silent, distinguished tears. All is calm. Not happy, not sad, but simply calm._

_“Okay,” The redhead agrees seriously, eyes drooping, “Let’s go.”_

_The spell is broken, their gazes disconnecting._

_“Go-- Uh, go where?” ‘Tenko’ warbles, wiping under her eyes._

_“Lunch. There’s a cafe downtown,” The redhead waves her dad’s wallet, “My treat. You just need to promise that you’ll order the most expensive thing possible.”_

_“Uh?? What happened??” ‘Tenko’ questions, “You were being a complete dick to me a second ago.”_

_‘Himiko’ closes her eyes, sighing heavily, however it seemed much less ill intended than it usually was, “Jesus. Every time I try to do something nice you have to open your mouth.”_

_“Don’t tell me… You actually feel…_ bad _for me?” The brunette jokes sardonically. The redhead scoffs in amusement, “Have I done it? Have I finally thawed your frozen, frozen heart?”_

_The redhead shoves the brunette, openly defying her ‘don’t touch me’ rule, “Alright, alright. Don’t fall in love with me.”_

_“I mean, you were the one to suggest we go into those auditions as a couple.”_

_“Well, that’s-- Shut up.”_

_‘Tenko’ allows herself to chuckle, however bitterly, a sullen smile creeping up on her, “...This isn’t going to change anything, you know.”_

_The redhead exhales heavily as the pair begin to walk down the street, “I know. I’ll find you a nice bridge.”_

_“Whatever, dick.”_

_‘Himiko’ snorts, “Cursing is not a good look on you.”_

_They allow the chatter to evaporate, the rain accompanying their soft footsteps. The storm was still heavy, still pounded mercilessly against the umbrella, but it felt even less significant now. Unimportant. ‘Tenko’ almost felt hollow, as if she had just screamed the last of her emotions out and was now left with this empty feeling deep in her chest. Maybe things were better this way. Maybe the brunette would be happier like this, without any feeling at all, without the pain and trauma._

_Wasn’t that what she wanted all along? To not feel?_

_A black car pulls up a few blocks down from them. ‘Tenko’ notices a group of people exit and begin walking in the same direction they were headed._

_“It’s Hikari.”_

_The brunette is distracted from the dark vehicle. She turns back to the redhead, one eyebrow raised in confusion._

_“Hm?”_

_“My name,” The redhead clarifies, “It’s Hikari.”_

_The taller girl hums in shock. How long have they known each other without learning each other's names? She had previously assumed she would never learn the smaller girl’s name, simply because the redhead did not want them to be associated with each other unless they were discussing Danganronpa characters. But now, now that they’ve both given up the killing game entirely, the redhead had willingly given up her name._

_A sign of… trust, maybe? ‘Tenko’ could never be certain. They weren’t friends, but they weren’t complete enemies, either. Perhaps they could just understand each other. Perhaps they didn’t need to be any more than that._

_“Aika,” The brunette replies, “It’s nice to meet you.”_

_Hikari nods. Acknowledges, and then allows the conversation to fade. Their shoes soak in the puddles below them, the cold breeze whirling past their hair and through their clothes. Hikari tosses the wallet absent-mindedly in the air, passing it between her hands, her expression solemn and blank. Hollow._

_And for some odd reason, Aika feels a lingering feeling of content._

_The men from the black car get closer._

-=+=-

Himiko gasps.

The room jumps back to life. The noise, the overbearing racket surrounding her, suddenly bursts through her ears once more. The clamor she had been so desperately trying to block out through her intense daydreaming was now suddenly alive. It’s as if she had been awoken, revived abruptly and thrown back into the situation at hand.

Shouting. Himiko never liked too much volume.

Her sudden burst of energy was incredibly foreign. All of her senses shoot awake at once. She can feel everything that touches her skin, could hear every hiss and whistle from the audience. Against her cheeks, heavy pools of tears. Her hat had fallen off lousily to the floor. At some point during her sobbing, she had thrown off her cape. It’s at her feet now.

Very slowly, _very_ slowly, the redhead turns her head robotically, as if it had been rusted in place. To her left was Shuichi, the former detective, sitting dumbly with his knees tucked under his chin and his hands raking furiously through his raven hair. He’s mumbling to himself, eyes wide, ignoring the clamorous shrieks of the audience around him. Ignoring his classmates just a few podiums over. Maki, who was heaving in shock, Kaito, who was screaming right back at the restless crowd, and Kokichi, who was growing paler by the second.

Himiko turns to her right. Tenko is curled into a fetal position, hands clamped over her ears. The redhead could barely look at her without choking up again. The guilt was unimaginable, unbearable. Knowing that she… or at least a much crueler past version of herself, had dragged Tenko into the killing game, had created their relationship purely for entertainment, was horrid. She felt sick. With every inhale, the acidic taste of bile rose in her throat. 

Where was this energy coming from? Himiko had given up. Or, at least, she was _ready_ to give up. To give up like her classmates, who sat helplessly next to her. What was this sudden determination coursing through her veins? What was this badgering crowd of voices in the back of her head, begging her to keep going, begging her not to give up?

And why did she believe them? 

“Be quiet,” She starts, silently.

Nobody listens. The roar of the crowd is now joined by the hearty guffaws of the Director, who was laughing flippantly with some of his subordinates off screen. There was commotion back where he was stationed, something so funny that even a situation so mortifying such as the one that lay in front of him was deemed insignificant. In response to his laughter, the audience grows louder.

But the voices in the back of Himiko’s head only grow louder. _Revive!_ They chant, _Don’t give up yet!_

“Shut up!” Himiko tries again, this time much louder.

Her classmates don’t pay any attention to her. They panic and groan and wail and gesture frantically, at loss of what to do. The watchers jeer at them, hatefully yet enthusiastically at the same time. The noise grows even more intense, so overwhelming that Himiko began gritting her teeth, wiping excess snot and tears away from her face, her fists clenching so tightly they were shaking.

Uncharacteristically, the redhead slams her hands on her podium.

 _“Shut the fuck up!”_ She screeches, elongating the last word of her sentence into a high-pitched shriek until the courtroom eventually has to quieten down just to stop her from screaming.

Any classmate who was not entirely out of commission silence themselves and turn towards the redhead with wide eyes. Tenko very slowly raises her head to look at her, her hands still cupped over her ears. The rest of the group, those left in complete shock like Shuichi, Kokichi, and mostly Maki, do not avert their gaze. The audience mutters and whispers, but nevertheless respect Himiko’s wishes and silence themselves, waiting greedily for more despair.

“ _Thank_ you,” Himiko exhales sourly, “Now I--”

Before she is able to finish her sentence, her podium jolts forward, gliding towards the middle of the courtroom. Himiko wobbles but quickly grabs the counter before she topples. The tiny girl resists the urge to cower under the expectant gazes of the watchers, as well as the now-silent Director. Her cape is left behind, taking the spot where her podium used to stand.

“I-I have questions,” The ex-mage says, despising how shaky her voice sounded.

As soon as she reaches the center, the Director hums amusedly, “Damn, you’re _still_ trying? Did you not hear me? You’re not real.”

Himiko flinches, “Y-Yeah-- I, uh, got that.”

“...And you don’t have anything to return to.”

The redhead grimaces, “....Yes.”

The Director throws his hands up as if it was obvious, “Then what the hell are you doing.”

She’d love to know. There’s a very violent energy rumbling through her, forcing her to continue on, no matter how absolutely hopeless the endeavor seemed. She wants to be confident, but at the same time she’s just so _tired._ Her energy is almost gone, her body trembling and her main source of comfort locked permanently in a fetal position behind her. She’s in so much shock she could hurl. Her body still wracked with sobs despite all of her tears having evaporated.

“...I’m not ready to give up yet,” She breathes, her frail form still shaking like a leaf, “Something is… telling me not to give up yet… so I…”

“Hm,” The Director sings in disgust. He ponders for a moment, staring at the redhead intently, but then shrugs, “Why not? Should make for some lovely entertainment. Let’s see this hope!”

The audience roars. At this point, Himiko is immune to it. She’s picked up key words. They scream their heads off whenever the Director mentions “despair” or “hope”, two complete opposites. The watchers must be choosing sides, must be rooting for both ends of the spectrum. 

The Director chuckles to himself, before waving outwards, “Go ahead, kid. The floor is yours.”

Despite being a-- Despite the flashback light _telling_ her that she was a performer, the sudden attention shook Himiko to her very core. A very faint light had shown down on her, a spotlight used specifically for being accused. She knew this spotlight all two well. She had been accused not once, not twice, but three times during the course of this killing game. And every single time, she’s had _other_ _people_ bail her out. 

As she looks back at her classmates, half of them staring at her despairingly and the other half unresponsive, she’s hit with the jarring realization that she is alone.

“We’re waiting,” The Director speaks on behalf of the audience, leaning backwards in his chair.

Himiko takes one last glance, hopeful that somebody, _anybody_ would assist her here, but nobody moves to speak. Tenko, the girl that had promised to protect her, was so far beyond paralyzed in shock that requesting help from her just seemed cruel.

The redhead would need to do this herself. This was her time to step up. Even if she’s vibrating out of anxiety, dangerously close to straight up hurling, she was the most capable of all of her classmates.

“W-What happens--” She chokes on her sentence, waiting for the Director to stop shuffling around before she continues, “...What happens when we make our decision on who to sacrifice?”

“Well, since we’re asking for two of you, we’ll hold two votes. One for the murderer and one for the victim…” His glances at the unresponsive Tenko do not go unnoticed, “And, just because you’ve caused so much trouble, we’ll have the first sacrifice executed.”

The audience _bursts_ into cheers. _EXECUTION!_ They scream. They’re desperate for an execution, screaming and grasping for a horrifying, torturous, stylized death. Tenko wails harder, burying her face once more in her knees. She’s shaking, as well. She’s scared. Himiko can’t run over to console her. Not right now.

“Okay-- Okay, then… um….”

She can’t help but look back at her friends. A nervous habit, she supposes. Almost as awful as her gnawing her bottom lip. Her lip was so raw it stung whenever her tongue touched it. How long have they been like this? How long had they been dawdling, stalling time to scream and cry? It felt like hours. Hours of torturous guilt slamming against her small body and leaving ugly, hideous bruises. She thought she would never be able to pick her head up from where it had so heavily laid, stubbornly refusing to meet Tenko’s gaze.

She can’t look at Tenko for long. She will take things rationally, and keep moving forward. Keep her chin up, and keep living--

 _No. No. No._ The sentiment is shoved so quickly aside it gives Himiko a headache. Tenko’s advice had now been rendered practically invalid, demoted to nothing but some corny throwaway line meant to make the former mage feel better. That one line had been so important to her then, had been her motivation, her reason to _live_ without shoving her emotions to the side. But now it only dragged her back to the present. Shoved the audition tapes in her face and told her that every piece of motivation had been nothing but coordinated lies. Yanked her by the hair and forced her to stare at that photograph they found in the envelope, the photograph that contained the two of them in the audition room, _waiting._

Every thought of Tenko only reminds her, cruelly, that perhaps she had a lingering feeling something was off ever since she saw that photo. A feeling she should have acted on. Maybe they would have had time to process it all. Maybe if she had spoken up, had told them about the dots connecting the flashback lights and the preplanned deaths and that _damn_ photo, her classmates wouldn’t have been hit this despairingly. Himiko should have spoken up. If she had spoken up then, she wouldn’t be the only one voicing her argument now.

Her being the sole speaker felt weird. Was this how Shuichi felt? So vulnerable and open and _afraid?_ The spotlight was blinding. Himiko was frightened, but at least she had an excuse as to why she was. She was _written_ like this. This was on-script for her.

A thought. Another thought connects to it. Himiko suddenly has something to go off of.

She flips back around to face the businessman, “When-- The-- The, erm--”

“Take your time,” The Director says sarcastically. The watchers laugh at her.

Himiko frowns, but does not lose confidence. Her voice begins to grow in strength, “...You said something about a script. Do-- Do we follow the script? Or does the script follow us?”

The Director perks a confused eyebrow. A few audience members mumble to themselves, befuddled at her question, “... We create your personalities and then write the script based on accurate predictions of how you will react--”

“Did you have anything to do with the seance?” 

“...Did we… _write_ the seance? Yes. We wrote Korekiyo’s personality specifically so he’d plan the seance,” The Director answers, “Every event was pre-planned. Every moment was designed with great detail. Every flashback light you encountered after the initial memory wipe held pre-recorded scenes from actors and actresses. If you’d like, I could get the actress who played Tenko’s mom on the phone--”

“ _Everything_ was planned?” Himiko interrupts.

The Director squints, “Yes. Again, would you like me to call an actor for more proof? I could call the actor for the voice you heard at your own funeral! I could also get some of the extras from the Ultimate Hunt mob, or--”

“Even Tenko looking up?”

A noticeable hush washes over the audience.

“...Are you… _still_ trying to find discrepancies?” The Director asks, accompanied by silent, condescending chuckles.

Himiko blinks unconfidently before continuing, “It’s less, uh, about that. I’m trying to find discrepancies that… That prove we’re…” Somebody from the audience wolf-whistles and the entire crowd bursts into a fit of laughter. After a pained grimace, Himiko continues, “She-- It was Angie, or at least something that _sounded_ like Angie, that told Tenko to look up. And unless that was _you_ , then that means it wasn’t prewritten, a-and--”

“What are you talking about…?” Kaito questions gruffly, despite his voice being quite soft.

Himiko flips back around. The classmates still participating were looking at her with deep confusion. Tsumugi perks an eyebrow, but doesn’t necessarily say much else. Tenko, from where she sat pathetically on the floor, was staring with wide, glassy eyes. After a moment, Himiko realized the brunette was shaking her head. Telling her this endeavor was useless. Begging her not to explain anymore, that nobody could handle it. The redhead grits her teeth, trying to silently tell her not to give up, that she _needs_ support, but does not receive an answer.

The Director pauses, in deep thought, before clicking his tongue in remembrance, “Ah. Yes. No, just, uh-- That wasn’t _us_ , necessarily, it was actually this-- This annoying little twat. Hold on, let me explain.”

The screens shift, very fortunately washing their audition tapes away and replacing them with viewers. The left side of the room flooded with avatars and profile pictures, the majority of them photos of real people. The right side, however, was flooded with more illustrated profile pictures, none of them depicting real people. They were photos of animals, of anime characters and simple drawings. Most of the squares that occupied the right were filled with icons of a peculiar ‘A’ logo. 

“Danganronpa is viewed across two mediums. One that we have complete control over, which is the television show,” The Director explains, “ _We_ televise Danganronpa to every television in the nation. The people who watch it using that medium are known as the **Watchers**.”

 _YEAH!_ The Watchers screech from the left side of the room, still managing to fill the entire room with their chants despite only covering half of the courtroom.

“...The other medium, however, is… a little less conventional,” The Director continues, brow furrowing in disdain, “This killing game has been transcripted and published in story format, on some media labeled Archive of Our Own.”

“...Archive of Our Own?” Himiko repeats, voice wobbling.

“We’re unable to view it,” The Director admits, practically snarling, “Only certain people have access to it, and we sure as hell aren’t them.”

“Somebody types everything we say and do,” Tsumugi comments, “And for some reason, they’ve acquired an audience.”

“No clue why,” The Director shrugs, “Considering how they’re just words on a screen.”

Himiko squints, “...So, e-everything we’re saying is being typed into a story?”

“And do,” The Director corrects, “See, if I do this--” He starts waving his arms around like an idiot, “It would have been recorded in text form. One person, who the interns have so _graciously_ named the Author, types it out and then it gets published. Those who view the killing game through Archive of Our Own are known as the **Readers**. There’s like… 10,000 of them.”

The right side of the room does not make the same ruckus as the left side did. Whispers flutter through Himiko’s ears, like tiny gusts of wind, soothing and considerably less rowdy. It’s almost calming in a way. 

“The Author has been a real pain in our ass,” The Director groans, “They hijacked the simu-- The killing game and basically gave Tenko a warning. Threw everything off track.”

 _BOO!_ The Watchers jeer. Assholes.

Himiko bites her bottom lip once more, ignoring the stinging pain. An assortment of “um…”s escape from her throat, unconscious mumbling as she attempts to piece together just what her next argument will be. Perseverance still lay strongly in her chest, but it wasn’t much use if Himiko didn’t know what she was supposed to be doing. 

Tenko whimpers, unable to choke down a sob despite the silence. It makes the redhead’s heart ache. She really hated seeing her like this. She knows that now. She doesn’t like seeing Tenko cry. Himiko has always considered herself to be a bit of an empath, even if she wasn’t incredible at explaining or expressing her own feelings. The pain in this room was crushing her. Himiko just wanted to make people happy. God, she just wanted all of this to be over. Over for their sakes.

But is _that_ even real? Was her desire to entertain and see people’s smiles another elaborate personality trait that would define her character in this killing game? What responsibility did she have towards her friends, to these complete strangers who were falsely programmed to feel fondly towards her?

“If-- If that _warning_ wasn’t pre-planned, then… doesn’t that mean the emotions she felt were re--”

“No. A good try, but no,” Himiko huffs impatiently at the Director’s condescending tone, “... Consider it this way. K1-B0 acts as a medium for the Watchers. The thoughts and wants of the Watchers are transferred into K1-B0’s thoughts-- Usually it was a matter of whether or not it decided to act on them,” Even Himiko felt slight distaste in the way the Director referred to K1-B0 as ‘it’, “...Not anymore, I guess. We want the audience to have a say in this, and K1-B0 was getting pretty unreliable.”

The redhead flicks a sullen gaze back at the Ultimate Robot, who still had not moved from his position. Their silence made a bit more sense, now. They were being overwritten, almost. Overpowered by the 270 million people pestering them.

“ _Tenko_ , on the other hand, acts as a sort of… medium for the Readers,” The Director adds, “At first, it was just the _Author_ who gave her messages, but they kept finding ways to hijack the killing game. Eventually it was the Readers who gave the messages,” He purses his lips in disgust, “Confusing. Truly.”

“Well! Still, that’s--”

“But hold on,” The Director cuts off, Himiko rolling her watery eyes, “You are still _fiction_ to them. What makes you think the Readers are on your side? There is no way of telling whether or not the Author intentionally hijacked the game just to begin their own fictional narrative.”

The statement was convoluted. Where did fiction start and end for the Readers? Since everything she says, thinks, and does is being recorded in a text format, was there any telling just what was real and what was being made up? Since the Readers could not see her face to face, could they really distinguish between what was real or not? Reading was an entirely different format to watching, holding its own questions.

But Himiko will not dwell on them for now. She is focused, her heart beating out of her chest with more stress than she has probably experienced in her entire life.

“...I…” Her glance shifts behind her, to the right and to the left, and finally towards the Director, “...I think they’re trying to help us. I don’t think they were _contributing_ to the fiction… I think they just wanted to help us escape.”

The Director stares at the tiny redhead like the dirt beneath his feet. He’s leaning back in his wheely chair, glaring from a distance, dancing his pencil between his fingers. The Watchers mimic his silence, and even though Himiko couldn’t see their faces in real time she could sense their heavy judgement. They crave more entertainment, grasp greedily for despair from the crew (which they were currently receiving from every classmate behind her), but were very confused at where exactly she was headed with this.

The Readers are silent. Himiko realizes quite quickly that they wouldn’t be participating as noisily as the Watchers. It only makes her argument even more unsupported and flimsy.

The redhead inhales, “Every moment… past the seance was a discrepancy. Because the Readers were trying to swerve us off the course,” Himiko pauses, waiting for some sort of reaction, but only receives even more disgruntled groans and whimpers from her friends behind her, “... and since we were off script, doesn’t-- Doesn’t that make us just the tiniest bit... _real?”_

She despised how small her voice had gotten, as if preparing herself to be wrong. Her sentence clips short, her words choppy and unconfident, but she had still managed to get them across nonetheless.

Nobody agrees with her. Or, at least, they don’t speak their agreement out loud. Himiko regrets speaking as soon as she says it. Maybe this endeavor was useless after all. Maybe she was throwing arguments at the wall and hoping they stuck. Despite the situation being all or nothing, embarrassment rises quickly to her cheeks and burns her skin. 

There are noises from behind her. Himiko whips herself around, hope sparking within her chest once she sees Tenko pushing herself up to her feet groggily. 

The brunette inhales shakily, her head looking directly down and her shoulders hunched. Her voice is weak, her gaze glancing in every direction, pure mortification in her features.

“Himiko,” She whispers, as if trying to warn the redhead before she continued down this past, “Himiko, they’re _not_ helping us.”

The redhead’s hopeful smile drops immediately.

“Wh--” Himiko turns back around to check if the Director was listening. Of course he was. Him and 270 million other people, “What are you saying? Why are you--”

Tenko rubs at her own face, wiping her tears aggressively from her vision, “They _knew_ , Himiko. They _knew_ about-- They’ve been watching just like the rest of them--”

“But I _know_ they’re different. They’ve been _trying_ to throw this game off, and that proves--”

“You can’t prove that--”

“Why are you giving up so easily?” Himiko softly criticizes. Tenko seals her mouth closed, tears once more spilling over as she turns to the side, ashamed. _Please_ , Himiko begs through her pleading facial expression, _please just fight on a little longer._ She doesn’t like being alone. She doesn't like _fighting_ alone.

Despite saying nothing, her classmates solemnly avert their gazes as well. They don’t want to fight anymore. They have lost their motivation to do so. Shuichi is still on the floor. Maki is very close to joining him. Years of pain and suffering have caught up to her at once, smothering her abruptly. A lifetime of trauma, all for nothing. All fictional. Tenko is the only person voicing Maki’s surrender, the surrender approved by the rest of the class. 

Himiko wasn’t sure why she was the only one with the energy to keep fighting. It was kind of ironic, in some weird way. The girl with the least amount of energy from the very beginning was now the only one standing. 

The Director notices this lover’s quarrel. His smile twitches upwards, his hands knotted under his chin.

“Could this be… a split opinion?” He sings cheekily.

“No,” Tsumugi disagrees bluntly. The Director frowns like a bratty child, “It is in no way split down the middle. It is one person against literally everybody else.”

“I am still quite mad at you. Don’t go stirring the pot,” The Director warns, waving his finger disapprovingly. 

Himiko has so many questions for the former Ultimate Cosplayer. Surely she had known about their false existences much sooner? Was Tsumugi always _Tsumugi?_ Was she, as well as her classmates, also assigned a false Ultimate status and personality? Too many questions. Too little answers.

“And it won’t be a _scrum debate,_ necessarily. But since Himiko wants to keep fighting, then we’ll let her keep fighting,” The Director smirks rather evilly, tapping wistfully at a few buttons, “And we spent _thousands_ on these morphemonical trial grounds, so fuck you. I’m usin’ em.”

The podiums ignite. Himiko’s class grasp frantically at the sides, desperate to catch themselves as they begin to rise. 

Breathe. Himiko has to remind herself to breathe. Breathe and don’t feel guilty. She can’t let her feelings interfere with her classmate’s lives. She knows-- Or, thinks she has a good starting point of-- what is true. She will not let her regret and distress get in the way.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, the redhead was forcing herself to choke down her emotions.

-=+=-

**ARE THE READERS HELPING OR HINDERING?**

The trial grounds she is lifted into immediately knocks her pulverizing fear into full drive.

The very first thing, she realizes, is that she is alone. She stands on the right side of the courtroom, stationed professionally in front of the Readers behind her. Completely alone. The Director was really rubbing it in her face, wasn’t he? Really driving home the fact that nobody agrees with her and that giving up seemed to be the popular decision. 

**HELPING,** the screen behind her says. What an oversimplified argument. 

Across from her, maintaining the left side of the court, were the rest of her class. Every single member was positioned against her, no matter how nonverbal they had been since the big reveal. Even Shuichi, who _still_ hadn’t moved to stand up, was positioned on the other side of the courtroom, and he wasn’t even _looking_ at Himiko. Tenko had been moved slightly forward, because it seems she will be the only one talking. The Watchers are stationed behind her. Both members of the blue and red pair do not appreciate them being there, especially the brunette, who winced everytime they chanted.

 **HINDERING** , the left screen says.

The Director’s screen slowly rises, stationed to the right of Himiko and in between the two sides. He gestures for them to start, leans backwards, and allows them to take over.

Tenko is frozen still. Not even she could fully comprehend the situation at hand. Himiko knew when she panicked, could identify clearly when Tenko was in distress. Her eyes go exceptionally wide, her chest constricts as if she couldn’t breathe. In times like this, Himiko would take it upon her to intentionally exaggerate her inhales and exhales, just to calm Tenko down. The former Aikido Master did always have a tendency to react incredibly quickly and with as much emotion as possible. It was what Himiko lov-- _liked-- Ergh--_

Tenko notices how she’s the only one who has been moved forwards. She realizes she’s the only one standing in Himiko’s way, and suddenly her bottom lip was wobbling.

“Sorry, _”_ She apologizes weakly, her voice high and trembling.

_You’re not the one who should be apologizing._

Himiko smiles sorrowfully, gesturing gently to console her, “It’s okay. It’s okay, really.”

“I really don’t know what I’m doing,” Tenko mumbles, her words sharp and intertwined with hiccups as she rakes her hands through her hair, “I don’t-- I can’t _breathe_ , it’s--”

“Yes, you can. Take a few deep breaths,” At her instruction, the brunette inhales and holds it for much longer than she should, “We’ll take it slowly, okay? I’ll explain my side, and you can explain yours.”

“I just--” She exhales loudly, checking behind her just in case anybody else has decided to speak up. Kaito stares at her, his mouth still half-open in shock, and shakes his head no. _You’re on your own,_ “... I don’t think anybody who-- Who _willingly_ watches this is-- Is… I should have just stayed quiet-- Sorry--”

“Nah, this is good entertainment,” The Director shrugs, “Would have done it anyways.”

Himiko squints at him, but then turns back, “You don’t need to apologize. Here, we’ll start from the first time they interacted with you. That was during the seance, right?” 

The seance. The event that started it all. Himiko could remember it so vividly, could still hear the Caged Child song singing in her ears whenever it was mentioned. That day had been horrid. Angie, her only source of comfort at the time, had been ripped so unfairly away from her. Sometimes she looked back at that trial and cringed, winced at how poorly she had lied to her class, shuttered in embarrassment when she recalled how emotionally and unrestrainedly she had bawled her eyes out.

 _But wasn’t that planned as well? Wasn’t it prewritten for you to feel bad about Angie? How much of that relationship was false? How much did Angie_ actually _care for you?_

“That was the Author,” The Director confirms, “That event sparked their own narrative. A narrative which could be just as fictional as our own.”

 _Drats,_ “Tenko. Do you… Do you want to explain to the class, or do you want me to?”

“There’s _more!?”_ Kaito wheezes from where he stood. Shuichi releases a gargled noise from behind his podium. 

“No! No, it’s--” Himiko glances over at her taller friend. Tenko was blanching, mouth opening and closing but no real coherent sentences forming. She would not be the one to explain, “Well, the first seance was basically ruined because of Ang-- The _Author_ telling Tenko to look up. Right, Tenko?” The girl in question nods, “I think that same voice stuck with her during the third trial, which--” Tenko grimaces, but very quickly chokes down, “...Which you think is a hindrance, right?”

The former Aikido Master spares an apologetic look in place of a nod.

“...Himiko, you know you’re not supposed to _help_ the opposition, right?” The Director smiles patronizingly, “I know that speaking on your own is new to you…”

“Shut up,” Tenko hisses at him, before returning her flickering stare towards the former mage. It appalled Himiko to no end how she was _still_ fighting for the redhead, even after being told their entire relationship was planned. Even after being told that _Himiko herself_ had organized it, had convinced Tenko to enter the killing game as a pair, “...I think…. I think that voice freaked me out more than helped me.”

Himiko nods, “Right. But you still can’t deny the Author basically saved you--”

“For what reason, exactly?” The Director questions, stroking his chin in overdramatic thought, “That just leads to even more questions, honestly. Why did the Author save Tenko? Why not… literally _anybody_ else? I’m sure Ryoma would have been far less annoying.”

“You’re such a-- _Back to the topic_ ,” Himiko growls, “Tenko. Could you list every time you heard the Readers? We’ll make the decision together whether it was helpful or a hindrance. My next argument will be a lot more clear once we decide on an answer.”

She sounded like Shuichi. For some reason, that connection gave her a tiny boost in confidence.

“O-Okay…” Tenko agrees slowly, still breathing deeply, “...Um… The first one after that was Angie telling me not to leave Miu alone. After she freaked out at the dining hall.”

“Helpful,” Himiko immediately labels.

“...I didn’t listen,” Tenko admits guiltily, gaze lowering.

“Nevermind,” The redhead corrects.

“And after that they told me not to go into the simulation,” Tenko rubs at the back of her neck anxiously, “But that-- That didn’t help either… It only made both of us even bigger suspects.”

She was right. Himiko had always wondered how the fourth trial had progressed if the two of them had stepped into the simulation that day. It would have narrowed down the suspect list from herself, Tenko, and Kaito to just Kaito. That could have changed the trial drastically. Who knows what could have happened to the amethyst teen if he was the only plausible (at the time) culprit? Would Shuichi and Kokichi reveal their master plan and uncover Tsumugi long before she was supposed to be uncovered or let the former astronaut be executed?

What was that warning all about, anyways? There was no real proof, only hypothetical situations of what could have happened if Tenko and Himiko agreed to entering the simulation. Perhaps that was Tsumugi’s initial plan, to lodge the Cut-No-Cut scissors into _Tenko’s_ neck, and not Gonta’s. That would make sense, but Himiko was too busy (and, quite honestly, too afraid) to ask Tsumugi for confirmation. 

“Did they tell you who to vote for?” The Director asks the brunette, “During the fourth trial?”

“I thought you said you weren’t supposed to help the opposition,” Himiko mocks sourly.

“I’m not. Only asking a question. The Watchers made their decision about who to vote for, so I assumed the Readers did as well.” 

Tenko pauses, her lips pursed into a thin line, “I don’t remember hearing them then…. But I **voted for Gonta.** ”

Himiko nodded. While the brunette did not confirm any part of her choice being influenced by the Readers, the Director could also be correct in assuming they held _some_ sort of power over the final outcome. Gonta was the best possible outcome of that trial, considering every other option would result in yet another unnecessary casualty. 

“If we were going to assume the Readers had influence over the fourth trial, then **voting for Gonta** would have been the best option,” Himiko elucidates for the class, “...But I understand that’s not enough to make my point...”

“O-Okay. Then, uh, the next time was…”

“Hidden room,” Kaito says.

Himiko looks over at the purple teen. _Yes!_ She rejoices internally, _Yes, thank you for speaking up!_

“Hm?” The redhead hums for clarification. The Director clicks his tongue, probably a little surprised himself at the increasing number of people speaking up. 

The former astronaut inhales deeply, his demeanor pale and overall shaky, but he was still trying his best. Despite his overwhelming personality and sometimes naive optimism being entirely false, it seems some of it was still seeping through now. 

“At the, uh, computer. There was a conversation that Kokichi had with the Authors,” He looks over at the smaller purple teen in question but did not receive an answer or even a passing glance, “The Author said something about givin’ us advice… Advice from the Readers.”

“What did they say?” Himiko asks.

“Er-- I think it was something like… **let Tenko and Himiko regain their memories?”**

The only time that advice could possibly apply was during the first night in the hidden room. That night was fun. The day before was pretty horrible, considering Himiko had been flashed with a blackout light and forced to relive every significant yet conveniently harrowing moment in her childhood that led to her lazy and sometimes mistakenly apathetic personality. But that night, the night she spent with Tenko and just… _talked_ , was really, _really_ nice. 

Himiko clutches onto that warm feeling sprouting deep in her chest and does not let it go. She stubbornly refuses to let it slip through her grasp.

“ **Let Tenko and I regain our memories?** ” She repeats hopefully, “That’s helpful! That’s actually _very_ helpful! Surely the Readers saw where we were, and made a decision based on what they thought was the best course of action! And-- And we _did_ get our memories back, so that’s an acc-- Accom-- Accompaniment!”

“...Accomplishment?” The Director corrects confusedly.

“Same thing.”

The Director runs his tongue over his teeth. His condescending smirk was starting to disappear, “Anything else, Tenko?”

Tenko notices Himiko’s rising confidence, her eyes brightening as she rolls her shoulders back, “U-Um! The last time they talked to me was… At the library. When I found Tsumugi.”

Right. That was yesterday. After the readthrough of the killing game translation, Tenko had abruptly darted out of the dining hall. Apparently she had gone to the library, a location Himiko had not thought of searching when she had run after her. The redhead had assumed she went to one of the empty rooms on the fourth floor. She had run up how many flights of stairs? Just to realize that Tenko was in the basement the entire time?

“What did they tell you then?” Himiko asks, eyes twinkling. This was the final piece that would glue her argument together.

“They told me to **let her go**.”

“ **Let her go?** ” Himiko repeats out loud, glancing over at the bluenette. Tsumugi was on the far right side of Tenko’s line, staring at the scene in front of her with intrigue, “Let her go so she could… reveal the true culprit of Kaede’s crime early?”

Tenko flashes a complicated look, her eyes hopeful but her mouth twitching in confusion, “Uh… I, uh, guess?”

Himiko inhales shakily, taking a moment of pause to piece together her sentences before starting. She realized just a little bit ago that speaking without thinking only leads to scattered mumbles and incoherent sentences, which only led to being indirectly made fun of by the Director.

“Well…” Even after her long beat of silence, Himiko still felt unprepared, “I think it’s clear to see… that the Readers weren’t trying to hinder anything. While there isn’t any… solid proof that we aren’t viewed as fiction by the Author… I still don’t think they were attempting to do harm by interfering with the… story--”

“What is your point here?” The Director asks sharply, “What are you trying to argue?”

“Well, I--” 

In the middle of her sentence, the Director presses a button, and every podium begins to lower once more to the original trial grounds. Himiko throws her hands in the air.

“Are you ever going to let me finish my sentence??” She asks angrily as she slowly declines.

-=+=-

She’s back in the center. Her classmates assemble behind her, the Director’s screen positioned in front of her. Shuichi is the only one not standing. The audience waits with bated breath for Himiko’s next course of action.

It’s all down to her. This is it. The final trick of her performance. Even if her magic was never real, this was the final act of her show.

What would Shuichi do? He always ends the trials with a long, rather complicated explanation of what exactly happened, so everybody else could correctly vote for the culprit. Now that Himiko was basically put in the same position, it seemed incredibly difficult. Had they always put this much pressure on the former detective? She was surprised he didn’t snap earlier. If she were him, she would have broken down a long time ago. Especially with the whole Kaede situation. Himiko won’t lie, she wasn’t as close to the former Ultimate Pianist as Shuichi or even Tenko was, but it still hurt immensely to learn that such a sweet girl like her had been executed unjustly. 

And _then_ to learn it didn’t even matter in the first place, considering Kaede was never real and neither were anybody’s relationships. It basically cancelled each other out. Like PEMDAS. 

“Nyeh… okay…” She grimaces slightly at her signature catchphrase. Now that her entire personality was proven to be written for her, the word ‘nyeh’ just felt rather unnatural and childish, “I’m not… excellent at… this……”

“We noticed,” The Director nods. The Watchers titters mercilessly. Tenko manages to flash him an unpleasant frown despite still being completely bewildered.

“But the Author had no… ult-- Ulterior--” She looks around for clarification on the word, but nobody corrects her so she continues, “--motives, so I can fairly confidently say that they were trying to help us with the digressions, and--”

“And…? There’s still no--”

“ _Let me finish,”_ Himiko snarls, eyes squinted and dangerous, “You wrote us to react to specific events that happened. You _wrote_ us to develop relationships up until a specific point.”

“Tr--” The Director very nearly confirms, but quickly zips his lips cartoonishly once he remembers what the redhead had told him. He chucks the invisible key off screen.

The former mage takes a long look around the room. Her classmates were still staring at her, expectantly. They all knew she was their last hope, and their faith in her was rather astonishing to the redhead considering how she, too, was a fictional character. They looked at her as if she was the realest person there, as if she was the only person who was making any sense. The only person who could possibly save them now. 

Tenko’s warm green eyes were Himiko’s only source of comfort. It was remarkable, really, how even in such a hideous disaster like this trial, the brunette could hold such a peaceful place in the redhead’s heart. Her past self should have realized that. Her past self was selfish and cruel to take advantage of that for her own gain. 

This was her apology. This was her _moving on._

“I’d like to make the argument… that _because_ of these digressions, which we have proven were most likely done without ill intent, we’ve... developed past what was prewritten for us,” Himiko says confidently, head held high, “And since this development was not planned… the emotions we felt... were **real.** ”

A long pause. The Director’s face morphs into something completely unreadable, his lips sealing for real this time. His subordinates behind the camera begin muttering amongst themselves, words and phrases which Himiko could not hear or understand. The Watchers rumble and hum lowly, the Readers watch intently. The rest of the class stand, frozen.

Himiko releases a nervous breath and continues, “I-I mean, there are plenty of things you didn’t plan for us to do! Like, uh, the broadcast shutting down? Us hiding out in the hidden room? _This trial?”_

The Director doesn’t respond, condescending demeanor diminishing, rocking back and forth in his chair.

The former mage turns around to face her classmates. Most of them are now fully engaged in the conversation, and return her gaze vigilantly. They want to believe in her. 

The redhead gestures towards them, “And-- And the relationships we formed-- The relationships we have _now_ are _real_ , right? I mean--” She gestures towards Kaito and Maki. Both of them stare vacantly back at her, “Yeah, _maybe_ you two were always supposed to fall in love, but… Maki, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you as happy as I had when you were chatting with Kaito in the hidden room. And Kaito, you can’t stop smiling all dorkily around her!”

The pair turn to each other, staring at the other with sorrowful yet longing gazes. Once they make eye contact, Kaito can’t help but spare a soft grin. The former assassin’s eyes crinkle with the ghost of a smile.

“Maybe you were supposed to catch feelings, but… they were never supposed to go _this_ far, right? Aren’t the feelings you hold for each other _right now_ … real?” Himiko continues.

“Himiko--” The Director tries to interfere.

“And, Kokichi!” The redhead ignores the businessman stubbornly, gesturing at the purple teen. Kokichi was still pale and trembling, his eyes having never left his counter, “...We didn’t like each other that much, but-- Well, I doubt when you first came into this game you were ever expecting to _work alongside us._ That… takes a lot of trust. Trust that, let’s be honest, you… weren’t written with.”

The former supreme leader remains completely silent. Himiko’s mouth twitches with a frown, but she knows he won’t be responding any time soon. The liar himself was a lie. It must be a lot to take in.

“Shuichi, you too,” Himiko diverts from the purple teen. The former detective had not turned to face her, in fact the redhead couldn’t see him from behind the podium, but for some reason she knew he was listening, “You’ve accomplished _so much_ because of all of these discrepancies! You even got Kokichi to work with you, which… is a feat in itself! Those accomplishments are real. We got here because of _your_ determination and hard work, both of which are _real.”_

A low hum comes from behind his podium. He was listening. That’s all Himiko needs to know.

The redhead turns towards the bluenette at the end of the line. There was a rather cocky smirk riding up Tsumugi’s cheeks, her teal eyes sparkling with confidence. Her hands were folded neatly behind her as she rocked back and forth on her feet. Their eyes do not meet. Tsumugi had been staring the Director down smugly ever since Himiko started talking. 

“Tsumugi,” Himiko starts. The former(?) cosplayer blinks, slightly startled by the name call, but quickly averts her attention towards the redhead, “...I don’t think in a million years you were expecting to help us out. But you did. And… I don’t if you were… _written,_ or anything, but...”

Tsumugi’s mouth opens to retort, the smirk still wide on her face, but after a moment of voicelessness it closes again. She slowly allows her grin to dissolve, her glance flickering back and forth between the redhead and the increasingly disgruntled Director. 

Another beat passes before she nods. Agreeing. Himiko replies with an amicable smile. 

The redhead then flips towards the former Aikido Master, who was looking right back at her with a sense of pride. Tenko was _proud_ of her. 

She was just as shaky as everybody else, tears still rapidly cascading down her pale cheeks, but she still couldn’t help the proud smile that found itself lurking across her face. In a way it felt unfair for Himiko to be receiving any sort of praise, even in the form of a smile, from the brunette. But still Tenko stood, smiling idiotically at the redhead, her body still vibrating in shock and anxiety but her green eyes fixed warmly on the former mage. She still believed in her. She had remembered Tenko telling her she would never stop having faith and her, and even now, in this mortifying situation in front of them, she was keeping her promise.

Before Himiko could even think about what she was saying, she allowed her next point to tumble out of her mouth. 

“And Tenko, I love you--”

Her mouth _snaps_ closed.

The room bursts into shocked gasps and mumbles, her class’s mouths dropping open as if this revelation was the most important thing they had heard that morning (despite having just been told their entire existence was falsified). Tenko’s eyes practically pop out of her head.

Himiko stares right back at her, initially embarrassed beyond words, but suddenly erupts into disobedient and giddy giggles. The Watchers ooh and ah, cooing chirpily and singing elatedly at this sudden development. Himiko throws her hands into the air, a rather inappropriate smile creeping up on her despite the situation at hand.

“Oh, God--” She giggles, hands shaking in nervousness and shock at the same time, “Well!! Yep, I meant that!!”

Tenko looks around at her classmates, as if checking what was happening was _actually_ happening. Kaito snorts at her, nodding his head. 

“And-- And I didn’t say it back in my room but I should have!! That’s what I wanted to say!!” Himiko rambles, face growing hot as she clutches her cheek in her hands, “I wanted to say I love you and I should have said it then but I’m saying it now!! Wow!! Uh!!”

Tenko flippantly begins smiling. God, Himiko loved her smile. It was wide and beautiful and covered half of her face. Her smile is real. She knows that. She _knows_ that.

“And I’m-- And I’m not going to stand here and lie to you and say it was love at first sight, because it _wasn’t._ I wasn’t _written_ to love you. But I _grew_ to love you,” Himiko explains, taking deep breaths to slow herself down so everybody was able to understand her, “Because we grew to understand each other. We developed our relationship past what was planned for us. And _you_ developed, as well! I-I mean, a few weeks ago you wouldn’t even _look_ at the boys here!!” Tenko laughs, almost embarrassed, “But now… I mean, you’ve come so far. And I’m.. I’m so proud of you.”

The former Aikido Master beams from ear to ear, tears silently streaking down her cheeks.

“And what I’m feeling for you is _real,”_ Himiko continues, “I know that! I am more certain of that than I am certain of anything else! My feelings and that kiss were _real.”_

“I’m sorry, you _kissed!?”_ The Director asks for clarification, his facial expression clearly labeled as shock. 

“Yes!” Himiko replies way too enthusiastically, shoving a pointed finger at his face, “And I’ll do it again!!”

The former mage flips around to face Tenko. It is clear they have both dissolved into giddy hysterics at this point, probably fueled by the severe amount of shock the two of them had experienced.

Himiko extends her arms in a grabbing motion, “Babe, get over here, we’re kissing again--”

“ _No,_ dear God, _no,”_ The Director pauses, shaking his head and slamming his hand on a button. Himiko’s podium slinks even farther away from the rest of her class, “Stop. Jesus Christ.”

Despite the Director’s demands the courtroom was alive once more, this time the energy much brighter, however horrified and hyper. Many of her classmates begin blabbering amongst themselves, confused, baffled, and rather disoriented with everything that has been happening up until this point. Even the Director was yelling and making phone calls to specific departments. _They kissed!?_ He had yelled into the phone upon ringing the Story Management Department, spit flying, _THEY KISSED!?!?_

Shuichi’s hand slaps against his counter, and suddenly the former detective is up on his feet. He was shaking, very obviously, but he was standing. They were moving forward. They were actually… making progress. Kokichi was still unresponsive, but they were making progress, nonetheless.

Himiko smiles. Tenko bashfully grins back. The redhead’s moving podium was kinda funny, now that they were aware enough of their surroundings to notice.

 _I love you, too,_ the brunette mouths back, hands flapping excitedly around her face. 

“I-I’m done being the smart one, now!!” Himiko formally concedes, smile so wide it hurts her cheeks, “Uh, no further questions!!”

“This isn’t a murder trial--”

“Thank you!” Himiko bows.

“Alright, _Jesus!”_ The Director snaps suddenly, “This-- This doesn’t do _anything_ to help your case. You still have to make a decision, and this hopeless argument doesn’t do _anything!”_

“We-- We, uh--” Himiko grits her teeth in thought, body freezing. She didn’t think this far, “We… won’t participate!!”

The Director slaps a strained smile on his face, right eye twitching. He’s growing irritated. Himiko is definitely doing something to piss him off, and has been so annoying and obnoxious in his perfect plans that he was slowly declining towards the end of his patience. 

“You have already discussed this,” He grits, “I have already told you it will not work.”

“It’s fine.”

Himiko flips around. Tenko was the one to have spoken.

The same goofy, lovestruck smile was left permanently on her face. She hadn’t moved her gaze from where it rested on the redhead, soft and genial. Her eyes twinkle with something peaceful, with a feeling of content. For somebody so distraught and petrified mere minutes ago, she was now shockingly still.

“It’s alright,” She repeats, nodding calmly, “If my sacrifice is needed to get everybody out of here, then I’ll do it. I’m ready.”

The Director stammers for a moment, clearly taken aback. He stares dumbfoundedly at the screen for a few seconds, before very tensely asking, “...What changed? Himiko all of the sudden says she loves you and now you’re ready to get executed? I don’t get it.”

“It’s not that,” Tenko shrugs, smile still gentle, “I’ve been kinda… thinking about it for a while now. But I think I’m ready to go.”

“ _Why?_ What, do you really think the Watchers _aren’t_ going to vote through K1-B0? _”_ The Director hisses, “You’re not even _fighting_ . It’s-- It’s so _boring._ ”

“...I think that’s why I’m doing it,” Tenko says, “The audience wants me to fight. But… I think I’m done now. If they vote for me, I won’t be angry,” Her head lulls tiredly to the side, “At least my friends get to leave. Then they can… be even more real.”

The Watchers are remarkably silent. There’s no disagreement, yet no agreement, either.

The Director grasps onto something and runs with it rapidly, “So, you’ve given into _despair,_ is that--”

“I’m not giving into despair, no. I’m just…” Tenko takes a long look at her friends. They’ve reached the same stillness as she has, a tranquil surrender, “Rejecting your idea of what is entertaining.”

Himiko nods very seriously, “And if the Watchers vote for Tenko, then everybody else will vote for me as the victim,” She turns around to her class, “Right?”

Hesitance. Tenko’s calm smile twitches in disdain for only the briefest of moments, but after a moment of deep pause she releases a soft sigh. She knew there was no talking the redhead out of it. Something behind Tenko’s eyes implies that she will be fighting a little harder about that if the vote _does_ end up against her, but for now she will reach a hesitant acceptance.

Her class looks at each other, at least those who are not completely frozen still like Kokichi and K1-B0, and one by one they all begin to slowly nod. Tears fall down Shuichi’s face again, the raven-haired teenager sharing one last comforting smile with the former Aikido Master. Himiko was always so proud of Tenko for her friendship with the former detective, so proud of her development. She still is.

“W-We’ll… We won’t vote, and if K1-B0 votes for Tenko, then…” Shuichi exhales shakily, head slowly bobbing up and down, “...We’ll vote for Himiko.”

Kaito and Maki agree solemnly. 

Himiko and Tenko stare at each other. Both have reached the same calm. They were still jittery, still somewhat shaky and disjointed, but the decision they have reached was final. They will be at peace together. Their final goodbye to a cruel, false world.

“This is it, then,” Himiko says, voice high with emotion, “We did it, guys!”

The class allows themselves to release a trembling laugh, however watery. It didn’t feel like they had done it. It felt like they had surrendered. But they were too tired to fight now. Too tired. They reach silence once more, this time comfortable and tranquil. Kokichi’s irregular inhales were the only noise accompanying them. Even the audience, the Watchers and the Readers combined, have collectively decided they’ve had enough. They’re tired of the jeers and chants. It was over now, and they would treat the killing game as such.

Kaito is the first to sit down. 

It’s almost in protest. The class have all decided to stop talking, to intentionally create a trial so boring that the Director would not and could not earn satisfaction from its outcome. The purple teenager takes a long look around the courtroom, makes a decision, and sits down. 

Maki watches him recline to the floor with a loud grunt. Even though his illness had been fiction, Kaito still manages to sound like an old man as he sat down. She stares, expression hollow and complicated, before she follows suit. Shuichi smiles amicably at Himiko before he, too, sits down at his podium. Kokichi must have seen this form of protest through the corner of his eye, because even he lowers to the ground, however slowly. K1-B0 was the only one still standing, frozen in place, their eyes still wide and unblinking. 

Tenko exhales heavily and sits down as well. She’s done now. It’s over.

“Wh--What are you doing!?” The Director demands, shuffling through papers, “We _aren’t_ finished--”

“We are now,” Himiko replies softly. It isn’t ill-intended anymore. Only peaceful. 

Tsumugi glances around the courtroom. Her classmates, the same classmates she had deceived and lied to and tortured and killed, were now contently sitting down. Even Kokichi was being boring. And that went against one of his main motivations. To _not_ be boring. But despite this turn of events, it didn’t seem to phase the cosplayer in the slightest. In fact she stood, facial expression regal and punctual, chest puffed and head held high.

“There are always going to be people like the Author and the Readers. There are always going to be people who attach themselves to these characters,” Tsumugi states firmly, her final argument to her furious ex-boss, “They want them to survive. I couldn’t fight against that, and neither can you.”

Tsumugi sits, in solidarity with her class.

Instead of sitting down at her own podium, Himiko detaches herself and runs over towards where Tenko had been seated. The brunette accepts her with open arms, embracing her as they curl underneath the former Aikido Master's counter. Hidden from the world.

Himiko was happy here. She could say that for certain. Everything else felt so flimsy, so shakeable and fragile that she wouldn’t dare to speak about it, but she knew, right now, in Tenko’s arms, that she was happy for certain. So what if the world outside was cruel and unfair? Keep the outside world locked away for just this moment. Let the pair be happy for just one, beautiful, _real_ moment. Himiko could convince herself to be the second sacrifice if Tenko was there. It was bittersweet, the feeling light in her chest but heavy in her stomach. 

But she would die knowing she was useful. She could live with this last, fiery, blazing moment in time as her legacy. It wouldn’t be the death of her, afterall, only the death of herself as a system of memories. Her legacy will live on with 270 million people. She could live with that. 

She could die with that.

“I did the best I could,” Himiko says, voice muffled in Tenko’s shoulder.

The Aikido Master replies with a long kiss to her forehead, hugging her tighter, “You did _so well_ , my flower. I’m so proud of you. But let’s… be silent now, alright?”

Himiko only replies with a quiet nod.

The waiting game begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://www.strawpoll.me/20683691


	41. AT LONG LAST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trial finale. the destruction of the acade̾͜m̗͆y õ̬f gifṭ̈ed ̟̊juvenil͚̉ê̞s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is fiction if it is not entertaining?

Four hours. The class had sat in silence for about four hours when K1-B0 suddenly clunks to the floor. 

It was startling, for sure. The room had been so quiet. After Tenko and Himiko’s final words to each other underneath the podium, the entire class stubbornly refused to make any noise. No matter how many times the Director tried to spark conversation, no matter how many taunts and jabs he would throw at them individually, every single one of them remained seated and silent. Even when the Director started talking about Kaede, Shuichi ignored him. Even when he started going on a tangent about how every single one of Maki’s kills had been false and untrue, Maki remained unresponsive. Spiel after spiel, through merciless jeers at Kaito’s fake illness, through unwanted remarks about Kokichi’s rather unsettling past, through desperate attempts at convincing Tenko and Himiko that they were not in fact  _ really _ in love, the class sat in stillness.

Tenko’s eyes had closed a while ago, her breathing much steadier, in rhythm with Himiko’s heartbeat against her chest. The sudden noise breaks the calming spell, shooting her wide awake and rapidly accelerating her pulse. 

K1-B0 had sat down.

Confused and alarmed, Tenko slowly leans over to check out the source of the noise, Himiko still held tightly in her arms. The majority of the class had followed suit, craning their necks to check out what exactly was happening now. Tenko was pretty sure Kaito had fallen asleep. While it seemed almost impossible for the brunette to lower her heart rate enough to sway herself into sleeping, she could understand how the shock of everything could knock a person out.

Tenko looks over at K1-B0. Blue irises. They’re back. 

The robot opens their mouth to speak, obviously the slightest bit confused, but Shuichi very quickly puts a finger over his own mouth to gesture silence. Knowing that even this small interaction they were having could be considered entertaining, the class returns to sitting and waiting quietly. Even K1-B0, still befuddled and disoriented, wordlessly agrees to keep the silent streak alive. 

The lack of entertainment has finally destroyed the audience from the inside out. Their own impatience has rendered Danganronpa irrelevant. 

As the remainder of the class settles back into position, closing their eyes once more or returning to their mindless scroll through evidence on the monofiles, K1-B0 searches around the room. After four hours of absolutely nothing happening except pathetic attempts at conversation by the Director, almost every one of the Watchers had called it a night and turned their TV’s off. The left side of the room was no longer filled with their profile pictures, in fact the images had grown rather sparse and scattered. 270 million Watchers reduced to around 13,000 in a mere 4 hours. Those who stayed were exceptionally silent, usually only making noise when they shift around or murmur. At first they had been rowdy, the more impatient Watchers demanding for things to happen, but upon noticing they weren’t getting a reaction they gave up. 

The Readers were still there, but the class really didn’t mind them as much. They were comforting, in a way. They only wanted good things.

The Watchers were diminishing. The Readers were still there. K1-B0 was back to his awkward, robotic self. And for a moment, Tenko could feel hope sprouting in her stomach. Maybe, since K1-B0 was no longer under the overbearing control of the Watchers any longer, Team Danganronpa had given up. The audience was giving up. The television show they had loved and adored for so long was now boring, irrelevant and undeserving of their time.

Or maybe Himiko had gotten through to them. That option felt incredibly less likely, but Tenko liked to believe she lived in a universe where people could find that kindness in their hearts. To see that every member of this class was a real person. Or at least, they held real  _ feelings _ , and could be hurt just like any of the audience members could. 

Another forty five minutes pass until eventually time runs out and the Director is forced to start the vote. The class all turn towards the former Ultimate Robot, stomachs in knots and eyes squinted in suspicion as they wait for the robot’s next move. K1-B0 flashes them a convoluted look, flickers their gaze at their podium’s screen, but does not do anything.

“You need to vote,” Is all the Director says. It’s blunt and unenthusiastic. Nobody responds. All Tenko could hear after that was a heavy, disgruntled sigh.

Himiko exhales, lips curling upwards in relief. Even then, they can’t celebrate. They can’t give the audience any sort of excitement or entertainment. But Tenko knew Himiko was elated just through the tiny things, like the way she clutched her arms tighter around Tenko’s waist or the tiny hum she emits before closing her eyes once more. And Tenko herself couldn’t contain a hopeful smile, her tears having dried a long time ago and creating an almost hollow feeling in her chest. Her grin is hidden behind the lime green mask she had reequipped, finally finding use in the no-longer-nostalgic accessory.

Maybe the class had done it. Maybe they had gotten through to them. Tenko wouldn’t dare raise her hopes that high, but she could still acknowledge how close they were to finally winning.

Nobody touches the voting screens. Another long moment pauses, one so long it felt like the Director was never going to end the voting session. Tenko was prepared to sleep here overnight, if he called for it. She refuses to touch that screen.

Tsumugi notices the silence, even  _ more _ quiet than usual, and turns herself around to look at the flatscreen. Noticing how the bluenette’s face morphs, her eyebrows furrowing, Tenko follows suit.

The Director is gone. All that sits behind the screen is his empty office chair.

“Shit,” Tsumugi hisses under her breath. Tenko was never going to get used to hearing curse words coming from her.

The rest of the class shush her, sending alarmed glances at the Watchers and the cameras. Tsumugi waves them away, eyes never leaving the screen.

Eventually Tenko grows too curious.

“What?” She whispers back. Once more, the entire class shushes her.

“...He’s gone to check on the departments. He’s doing a performance check,” Tsumugi replies silently.

“What does that mean?”

Tsumugi pauses for a beat, shoulders drooping, “...He’s going to reset,” She retreats her head back behind the podium, her back slouching against the side, “...Damn it.  _ Damn it!” _

“Be quiet,” Maki demands from the other side of the line.

Kaito snorts awake from his nap, “Hrrhg-- What? What’s going on?”

“Guys, actually. Please, we can’t be this loud,” Shuichi tries to silence.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re resetting,” Tsumugi dismisses, “The whole game, it’s-- God, he’s probably gonna rewrite  _ everything-- _ ”

“ _ Rewrite?” _ Shuichi repeats, now ignoring his own pleas to be quiet.

“He saw K1-B0 sit down. He knows nobody is paying attention anymore,” The bluenette gestures at the scattered profile pictures. About a thousand more had left upon realizing nobody was going to vote, “He’s gonna reset the entire season.”

“Okay, can we-- Can we please be quiet now?” Himiko whispers, desperate to end the rather grim conversation. The class nods, returning to silence. Himiko had been reading through the letter, analyzing a hastily scribbled map in the corner.

It’s unfair. And it’s even more unfair how Tenko is unable to react strongly to it. The reset is not set in stone, it is in no way confirmed, so Tenko refuses to acknowledge it negatively. The rest of her class follows suit. This is what the Director wants. A reaction. Even Tsumugi realizes this and intentionally thins her frown into a straight line.

But the light feeling of hope still sits strongly in her stomach. Tenko was allowed to grasp at the positive if she didn’t visibly show it. She repeats the phrase ‘ _ nothing is confirmed, nothing is confirmed’ _ back and forth in her brain until a tiny part of her believes it. K1-B0 had sat down. The audience had retreated enough for the robot to obtain control once again. This sudden threat of a reset was not about to ruin Tenko’s faint hope for there actually  _ being _ a future.

“How do you know?” The brunette whispers. This time, nobody shushes her, “...The Director said this was the 53rd season. Is this… Does this always happen? Does it always finish with a complete reset? Is this how it’s supposed to end?”

Tsumugi props her arms on her knees, resting her head gently, “Usually they settle on a definitive ending. I guess since this game’s already gone to hell they’re just gonna restart it. But no matter how many times the killing game ends, it always…” Her face scrunches darkly, “It always comes back.”

Tenko stares at the former cosplayer but receives nothing back. Tsumugi glares outwards, her mouth now buried within the crook of her elbow. 

“...How many of these have you been in?” Shuichi asks, suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere.

At first the bluenette does not reply, despite all eyes staring at her expectantly. After a silent beat and a pensive glance back at her class, Tsumugi throws three fingers up. 

_ Three _ killing games. No wonder she was so tired.

Her answer leads to more questions. Will they ever escape? Since their personalities could simply be overwritten with flashback lights, who’s to say when the cycle would end? How many times has Tenko been rewritten and scrapped and rewritten and scrapped, if she had even been rewritten before? Has Tsumugi always been Tsumugi? Can she remember the previous games? What, or who, made her into the mastermind? Was this always a part of her character, to hold this much power over the killing game? Now even Tenko was curious to see just what development she must have been given in order to stoop this low. Or maybe, considering how the audience already knew her character, Tsumugi was just thrown into this mastermind position for quick fanservice. 

Oh, yikes. Tenko’s heart is beginning to accelerate again. Himiko hums and begins inhaling and exhaling louder, encouraging the brunette to follow along. Tenko has already convinced herself that she would be able to sacrifice herself if everybody else got to leave. Himiko being thrown into the mix was not ideal, and of course Tenko would fight much harder for her if it did come down to it, but the mage seems to be convinced as well. 

She thought they would be safe, for a second there. When K1-B0 had sat down, Tenko really thought they had done it. Waving this freedom in front of their faces only for the Director to pull a total reset out of his ass was cruel. Heart-breaking. And Tenko couldn’t complain without it being entertaining. She hates this. She just wants it to be over.

K1-B0 stares at their classmates, analyzing every blank expression. How their shoulders have begun to tense up again, how despite both Tenko and Maki having masks over half of their face they were still unable to prevent their eyes from squinting harshly in deep thought. Hesitantly, they raise a finger in the air.

“Um… May I speak…?” They whisper, still not entirely up to date on what was happening.

Shuichi takes a moment to check up on the audience. The Watchers haven’t increased dramatically, but they haven’t reduced dramatically either. They sit at a stable 12,000 people.

“Go ahead,” The raven-haired teen agrees upon noticing the crowd wasn’t really paying attention.

The robot shifts their glance nervously to the side, the finger slowly lowering to their lap, “Well… I understand you don’t want me to make much of a scene, so I will keep this simple. The Watchers-- No, not just the Watchers. The  _ audience _ wants me to destroy the academy.”

Tenko does a double take. Many of her classmates begin to speak out of shock but very quickly clip themselves off before they grow too loud.

“They-- They want you to  _ destroy _ the academy?” Kaito repeats for clarification.

Tsumugi chuckles darkly, “Oh, shit. They  _ really _ hate this season.”

“What if they’re just trying to get us all killed?” Maki asks. It’s not necessarily accusing or harsh, just asking for the sake of asking, “They must be sick of us by now. Surely they’re just trying to destroy the academy for entertainment.”

“ _ Or, _ Himiko got through to them,” Shuichi adds hopefully. The tiny redhead in Tenko’s arms allows herself a twitchy smile, “Maybe… They want us to destroy the academy ourselves. Destroy the killing game.”

Tsumugi raises a sarcastic eyebrow, “Well, if you’re going to destroy the school, then make it quick. He’s gonna come back and reset--”

“Could you please not say that?” Tenko pleas silently, “I don’t like thinking of everything-- Of everything happening again.”

“I’m… I’m very sorry this has happened. Truly, I--” K1-B0 blinks, face as stoic as they could possibly make it in front of the cameras, “...I understand that it is hard to see me as trustworthy, considering everything that I have done to help them. But I truly believe the Watchers are attempting to destroy this academy before any more harm can be done. They don’t want to harm you.”

“...Weren’t we talking about K1-B0 destroying the school earlier?” Maki recalls ominously, “Plan B, right? If everything goes wrong?”

“Nothing has gone wrong yet,” Kaito says.

The class murmurs in disagreement. It’s pretty obvious to see that much has, quote on quote, “gone wrong”. This entire trial had gone wrong. Surely none of them had walked into this courtroom expecting to experience multiple existential crises at once. 

“Okay! Okay. Everything has gone wrong,” The purple teen corrects, hands in the air in surrender, “But I still have hop--”

“Don’t say it!” Himiko warns, “They know that word. The  _ h _ word.”

“What, ho--”

“ _ Ssssh!!” _

“Are we doing it?” Shuichi cuts in sharply. 

Silence. 

If what K1-B0 was saying was true in any way, shape, or form, then the Watchers truly  _ have _ given up on Danganronpa. They wanted the entire academy gone, the area they live in to be destroyed. But Tenko can’t imagine the academy going down without the class going with it. K1-B0 had said it themselves, the destruction to the Academy for Gifted Juveniles will be immense, making it nearly impossible for them to escape unharmed. And didn’t K1-B0’s plan also include self-destructing and throwing themselves at the barrier surrounding the school? It would certainly baffle the Director, but it would also cost the robot their life. 

And on another note, wasn’t  _ that _ entertainment? Wasn’t the robot going haywire and causing a mass destruction theatrical and entertaining? 

“Tsumugi, you’d  _ know _ if the Director was going to reset, right?” Shuichi asks.

Tsumugi smirks, “You put a lot of faith in me.”

“You’re all we have,” He replies with little amusement, “And if he’s going to reset the game, then… Isn’t it best to… destroy it before he gets the chance?”

“Even if it takes us down with it?” Kaito questions out loud, “Are we… ready to do that?”

“Are  _ you _ ?” Tenko jabs, “Because I think  _ I’ve _ made it pretty clear I’m willing to go down if this game goes down with me.”

“Well-- Then, yeah! Yeah, I  _ am _ ready!” Kaito pokes rights back, surprisingly petty despite the situation at hand.

“Guys,” Maki rolls her eyes at the pair, stopping their argument before it started. She turns back towards Tsumugi, her eyebrows furrowed, “Tsumugi. Are you  _ absolutely sure _ he is going to reset everything?”

The bluenette inhales, holding her breath for a few seconds longer than she should have, “No. It’s just a hunch… But I’ll find out.”

“Find out what?”

Eugh. It’s the Director. He’s sat back down at his desk. The class snap back into place, staring outwards and away from the screen behind them, returning to their boring, boring selves.

The Director hums. There’s a clicking sound from where he was, “Ah-- It seems that…. Ah.”

He drums his fingers against his desk, the noise banging against Tenko’s skull. They are so close to the end. The voting has gone on much longer than it was supposed to. Any moment now, the Director will be forced to end the vote without anybody having participated. Tenko doesn’t even need to turn around to see the massive scowl on his face, the pure resentment behind his eyes. It makes Tenko feel better, even for the smallest of moments. 

“Well, all! Congratulations!” The Director announces, his voice sickeningly sweet and venomous, “You’ve done it! You have  _ done _ it.”

He begins his slow clap. Every time his hands connect, Tenko grimaces.

The Director sighs loudly, “I am….  _ So  _ happy! Truly. Just… so--”

“Did anybody vote?” Shuichi asks him. It’s the first time anybody has spoken to the Director in about five hours now.

A long pause, before an overly cheerful, “...No!”

One of the monitors flickers on. The tallies flicker across the screen. No votes.

The celebration from the class is the most hesitant, muted form of cheer Tenko has ever seen. Himiko opens her mouth to scream in delight but snaps it shut so quickly Tenko could hear her teeth colliding. A wide smile catches Shuichi by surprise so suddenly that he has to cover his mouth with his hand and turn around towards the podium before any cameras caught it. Kaito pumps his fist so slowly that it would probably take another hour until the gesture was complete. 

Relief crashes against Tenko like a tsunami. They  _ did _ it. Err-- At least, Tenko thinks they have done it for now. The reset thing was still very much an issue, but surely it wouldn’t--

Tsumugi pushes herself up to her feet.

“He’s resetting,” She confirms as soon as she sees the screen.

“Wh--” Tenko also rises to her feet, despite Himiko’s tired grumbles of objection. The Director was scribbling out a few forms. Tsumugi must have recognized them, “Wait, are you actually--”

“ _ When _ did I say I was resetting? Who’s to say I’m not just shutting the whole fucking thing down?” The Director’s grip is so tight against his pencil that it looked as if it would snap any moment. His eyes barely glance at the camera, his squinted gaze glaring harshly at the papers he was filling out, “We need a  _ goddamn ending. _ We can’t just-- We can’t just  _ end _ Danganronpa on such a boring--”

“You  _ really _ hate losing, huh?” Maki snarls. She’s up on her feet now, joined by the rest of the class. The only person still on the floor is the paralyzed Kokichi, “Give it up, already. Nobody cares about your stupid show anymore.”

There’s something tired behind her voice. Tenko feels inclined to agree with it. Just let them leave. Just make it stop, already. Nobody wants to fight anymore.

“Yeah, everybody’s stopped watching,” Himiko adds, rubbing at her eyes. Tenko shuffles over to share her podium, one arm wrapped around the redhead’s shoulders, “We won! So you can’t reset, that’s--”

“Not fair?” The Director finishes, “ _ Not fair? _ You wanna know what’s  _ not fair _ , Himiko? The hundreds of people you have just put out of work. The franchise that you had just ruined. Do you understand how many people watch this show, how many people  _ live only _ for Danganronpa?”

“They can find something else,” Maki grits unpleasantly, “And you’re  _ not  _ going to restart--”

K1-B0 robotically clears their throat.

The class turns over towards them. The robot’s face contorts and signals, sending silent messages to their classmates. Everybody understands immediately. The Watchers still want the game to go down. They want the academy to be destroyed, for whatever reason. Whether that be because they find a destructive, chaotic ending to be more satisfying than the boring one they’re stuck with now, or whether they simply want the game to end completely. Before any more unsuspecting,  _ real _ teenagers could be thrown into this torturous, agonizing killing game. K1-B0 is willing to destroy the academy before the Director resets. They’re willing to destroy the game before the Director is able to continue it.

The class will go down with it. The chances of their survival would be slim.

“Why is everybody looking at K1-B0 all meaningfully,” The Director deadpans, “What am I missing here.”

One by one, the group turns to each other and nods. They can all agree on one thing, all reach the same, desolate, calm conclusion. It was either be reset (allegedly), forced to perform the entire killing game again or be rewritten into a completely new character, or sit there in the academy while it was being destroyed, with a high chance of being destroyed with it. Either way, it was a dead end for them. Better to go down with the academy than let it continue, right? 

Oh, god. Tenko is crying again. She really thought she had no more tears left to cry, but she keeps proving herself wrong. Yikes! This is embarrassing! To be fair, both Himiko and Shuichi had joined her, but it still felt so incorrect for her to be crying when the rest of her was so hollow. Every emotion coming out of her felt… weird, or unnecessary. It was complicated to explain how she felt. 

But Himiko had explained it rather clearly. What she feels right now was real, and that is all she needs to know. All she needed to know.

That was all the audience needed to know, too. That the people they watch on their screens are real people, forced into these awful killing games for some sick entertainment. 

“Guys, you’re gonna have to answer me  _ eventually,” _ The Director complains, his signatures growing more scribbled and rushed. 

K1-B0 inhales and exhales. The Director is talking behind everybody, but nobody is paying attention, as if they had once more returned to their silent streak. With a passive glance upwards at the hole in the stained glass above them, K1-B0 shares one last friendly smile with the class.

“Well,” They sigh, hands settled on their hips valiantly, “The outside world wants me to do this. I advise all of you to remove yourselves from the courtroom immediately to prevent any further damage,” They fumble with their words for a moment, glancing down the line at their classmates, “...I’m not sure whether I will ever see any of you again, but I--”

“Wait, Keebs,” Kaito pauses.

The former astronaut removes himself from the podium, moving hastily towards K1-B0. Once he stands in front of them, Kaito fidgets rapidly at the pins attached to his chest, removing a medal with a blue ribbon and gold star. He then reaches over and attaches it to K1-B0’s chest, fiddling with it before finally being happy with it’s lopsided placement.

“What… is this?” K1-B0 questions out loud.

“It’s…” It’s clear Kaito doesn’t know exactly what medal it was, either. Team Danganronpa gave him this rather random costume piece and didn’t specify what exactly it meant, “... Well, I know for certain it’s a medal for bravery. I recognize the star. So, we can just say it’s a Medal of Valour!” He pats the robot supportively on the shoulder, smile wide and optimistic but his eyes rather sorrowful, “I’ve basically knighted you!”

“That isn’t how it works,” Maki disagrees. 

Himiko shakes her head to agree with the red-eyed teenager, but her bottom lip wobbles and ruins the seriousness of the gesture. Tenko wanted to say something about astronauts not being able to knight people, and then something about how he wasn’t even a real astronaut anyways so even that wouldn’t work, but gets too caught up in K1-B0’s distinguished goodbye. 

Kaito salutes. Shuichi follows suit, then Maki, then Himiko, then Tenko. They hold the salute with dorky, watery smiles until finally K1-B0 copies, where then they complete the gesture.

The Director notices the goodbye. His face hardens immediately, eyes squinting and teeth gritted.

“...Wait.  _ No _ ,” He hisses, head shaking, “No. No, god  _ damnit!” _ He slams his fists against the table before pointing an accusatory finger at the crew, “You think you can fucking waltz in here and fuck up  _ my _ game!? What, you all just expect this game to end because of some stupid robot!? Danganronpa  _ doesn’t _ end like this, it will  _ not _ fucking topple because of you boring,  _ isolant children--” _

“Let’s begin,” K1-B0 says, rudely interrupting the Director while he continues to rage, “...Or rather, let’s end this! This is the will of the outside world!”

“ _ No, it’s--” _

The next few moments happen quickly. K1-B0 shoots in the air at the exact same time the Director slams his hand against one of the bright red buttons on his desk.

The courtroom rumbles violently, sending Maki off of her podium and throwing two of the screens scattered across the room onto the floor. The Director shoves himself off of his desk, stomping angrily off screen, demanding gruffly to his subordinates.  _ Shut it down!  _ He shouts, his voice growing distant as marches further off screen,  _ shut it fucking down! _

The room rumbles once more. This time, the massive screen in front of them wobbles and titters until it very,  _ very _ slowly begins to teeter forwards.

“It’s going down. It’s  _ going down!”  _ Shuichi warns,  _ “Run!” _

The class reacts slowly, but then suddenly jerks into action. Himiko is the first of the blue and red pair to awaken from the initial shock, grabbing Tenko’s hand and yanking her towards the elevator. Kaito, originally running along with the rest of the class but then noticing a member of the group who hadn’t joined them, skids to a sudden halt and turns around. He sprints back to the podiums, grabs Kokichi roughly by the shoulders, and dashes towards the elevators. Kokichi struggles, thrashing violently against his grasp, but still allows Kaito to basically carry him towards safety.

The main screen slams against the courtroom floor, shattering into millions of tiny glass pieces. Behind the screen, attached to the back walls, were pixels of pure white. 

They were spreading slowly, growing invasively across the walls and engulfing the back half of the trial grounds, in a white so blinding it was as if every shadow was absorbed. The squares were getting wider, growing hungrier, engulfing the panels of stained glass and swallowing them whole until they no longer existed. The courtroom rumbles once more, quaking under the destruction K1-B0 was most definitely causing outside of the room. It only makes the pixels angrier.

“What-- What  _ is that!?”  _ Tenko gawks, gesturing frantically at the white.

“I told you, they’re shutting it down!” Tsumugi answers rather unhelpfully.

“Shutting  _ what  _ down!?”

“What are we doing?” Himiko asks the group, having not paid attention to the rather brash conversation between Tenko and Tsumugi, “A-Are we staying here?”

The class glanced at each worriedly. Do they accept it? Was it better to stand there and give the audience nothing? To sit back down again, silently waiting on the floor, making the ending as boring and unsatisfying as possible?

_ No _ , a sharp thought attacks Tenko from behind. Her hands are shaking. No, she’s definitely scared of this infectious white mass. It’s almost eaten half of the courtroom by now. Every second the class stands there idiotically, the virus only grows hungrier. The ceiling shakes violently, sending panels to the floor and nearly crushing Shuichi’s head.

Tenko doesn’t want to be reset, if that was what was happening. She doesn’t want to forget. Adrenaline pumps wildly through her body, fight or flight reflexes suddenly kicking back in through her veins. She was so close to giving up entirely, but now felt so inclined to do the opposite she might just hurl. She doesn’t want to forget. She has so many things to remember. So many  _ people _ she wants to remember.

Oh,  _ god, _ Tenko doesn’t want to be reset.

Kaito looks upwards at the roof. In his eyes, a familiar determination. 

“No. No, screw this,” He says, already beginning to motion the class towards the elevator, “We’re  _ not _ gonna die how they want! _ ” _

“Wait,” Himiko tries to halt, “This is what they want. They want us to--”

“Move!” The former astronaut commands, once again gripping the thrashing Kokichi and shoving him into the elevator with him.

Maki is the first to get there, her speed exceptional despite being the third shortest person in the class. She frantically mashes her fist against the elevator button, as if her repetitive clicking was going to call the elevator any quicker. Even though she was the first one to get to the elevator, she is the last one to file in, still clicking the button even though the majority of her class had already entered.

Tsumugi remains outside of the elevator. 

“Tsumugi!” Tenko barks back at her. Himiko grabs the former Aikido Master’s arm and guides her back.

The bluenette stares upwards at the crumbling ceiling, watching in awe as the white virus swallows the courtroom whole. The same courtroom where she had lied and sentenced her peers to death. The same courtroom where she had stood complicity, watching as Kaede was lynched cruelly in front of her, all the while knowing just who exactly bludgeoned Rantaro to death with that shot put ball. She gazes upwards as her killing game falls apart, scattering into small, beautiful pieces in front of her. She knows what will happen if she stays there.

Tsumugi turns around. There’s a tiny smile on her face. One of peace. Of clarity.

“Don’t sign anything,” She advises softly, stepping backwards as the white virus begins to catch up to her. It’s as if she was walking into nothing, “That’s how they get you to do another one.”

The former Ultimate Cosplayer raises her right arm gracefully, waving her classmates goodbye as she falls victim to the blinding light behind her. 

Before Tenko can yell her name again, Maki slips into the elevator. The doors close behind her.

-=+=-

“Mashing the buttons won’t make it go any quicker,” Shuichi says hurriedly.

If Kaito had heard the former detective, he ignored him, his finger still tapping repetitively against the up button.

The class can not sit still. They pace around the elevator, jittering anxiously and glancing around the small space as if something new would appear if they stared long enough. Being in an elevator while the academy crumbles around you was in no way safe or ideal. It did not help that the elevator was quaking, trembling under the destruction above it. The anxious pit in Tenko stomach continued to convince her that the elevator would break down and fall, sending the class crashing down to the trials grounds once more.

Upon entering the elevator, Kokichi immediately curled into the back corner, eyes wide and unblinking, his skin sickly pale. He has not said anything for such a long time that Tenko was beginning to forget what his voice sounds like. It only worried the brunette further. Shuichi waved a hand in front of the former supreme leader’s face but retrieved no response. Nobody in the elevator was mentally aligned enough to calm him down. They had just waved goodbye to a friend, purposefully began the destruction of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles, learned the Director was going to “shut everything down”, and watched Tsumugi willingly walk into whatever the  _ fuck _ that white stuff was. All in the span of a few minutes.

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever realized how  _ slow _ this elevator is,” Maki complains, teeth gritted. The elevator rumbles, as if retaliating in anger. 

“And rickety, too,” Kaito agrees, still mashing the up button, “I wouldn’t be surprised if it broke down on us.”

Himiko gasps, “Don’t jinx it! Don’t jinx--”

Almost as if on cue, the elevator jolts to an abrupt stop. The residents teeter and wobble, the elevator hissing at them as it completely shuts down. Shuichi topples over but quickly manages to catch himself with his hands. 

Tenko’s lips curl downwards unattractively, pointing an accusing finger at Kaito, “ _ You  _ did this!!”

“Alright, don’t panic!” Shuichi starts immediately, diverting the argument as Kaito throws his hands in the air, “Don’t panic, we’ll--”

Tenko marches over towards the elevator doors, sticking her fingers into the crack and pain-stakingly pulling the metal barrier open. With help from Kaito, who grabs the other door once she had already pulled it open about a third of the way, the pair manage to pry it open with their bare hands. They were met with concrete wall. A sliver of light peeks from the top of the elevator exit, a horizontal crack so small that Himiko could probably squeeze through it if she tried hard enough.

Kaito voices this option to the redhead, who in response very vigorously shakes her head no. She was not willing to risk crawling through the sliver, especially considering how the elevator was still rumbling. Himiko, as well as Tenko, was not willing to risk being crushed in between the elevator and the outside. 

“The hatch. We can open the hatch and crawl out,” Maki says sharply, pointing upwards. It seems she had been preparing for this to happen ever since she got into the elevator, eyeing the room to search for possible escape. Tenko’s eyes follow where she had pointed, at the large hatch in the middle of the elevator’s ceiling, “We’ll have to help each other up.”

“Good idea. Maki, I think you’re the best option to go first,” Shuichi asks.

“Right. Tenko?” Maki agrees. Tenko nods, taking a knee and cupping her hands to supply the former assassin with a step to use, “Keep me stable, I’m moving the grate.”

Tenko nods and moves the agile girl upwards, with Kaito holding Maki’s hips to ensure she doesn’t topple backwards. Shuichi holds his hands out in front of her, in case she falls forwards. Maki hastily shoves the grate out of the way, her face hardening under its weight, before giving Tenko a hasty thumbs up. The taller brunette pushes her up further. Maki pulls herself out of the elevator, crouching just outside the hatch as she looks down at the group.

“Himiko next,” She orders, “Lightest to heaviest.”

Himiko immediately complies, shakily stepping into Tenko’s hands. After she is sure Kaito has a good hold of her waist, and Shuichi is ready to catch her in case she lurches forwards, she nods, signalling the brunette to propel her upwards. Maki grabs her by both arms and assists her as she crawls up the hatch.

Shuichi turns towards Kokichi, knowing that he was next in line to go. The purple teen does not respond.

“Kokichi?” The former detective gestures, hand extended.

Nothing. Not even a blink.

_ “Kokichi,” _ Shuichi tries again, growing desperate.

“Come back to him, we’re running out of time!” Kaito yells, “ _ It’s _ gonna catch up to us!”

Himiko sours from where she views the scene from above, “I-I still don’t think we should be--”

“Shuichi, you’re up,” Maki commands.

They repeat the same cycle. Shuichi spares one last concerned glance at his petrified friend but ultimately agrees to being assisted upwards. Maki grabs his arms and Himiko tries her best to help, gripping tightly at his clothes and yanking him onto the roof of the elevator.

Once Shuichi was in the grasp of the two girls, Kaito rushes over towards Kokichi and tries to get him back up to his feet. This time, the former supreme leader was  _ not _ having it, screeching and biting and thrashing violently at Kaito’s arms until eventually the former astronaut is forced to drop him. Every time Kaito attempts to yank him away from the wall, Kokichi screams and throws himself back into the corner, stubbornly hunched over.

Tenko realizes pretty quickly that there was barely any time for all three of them to exit the elevator. Shuichi was yelling at them from above, begging one of them to move before the shut down reached them.

“Kaito, I’ve got him,” Tenko says firmly, dropping to her knee once again and cupping her hands, “You get up. I can reach it myself if I jump.”

Kaito sputters, “No way!  _ You  _ go, it’s ladies first--”

“Oh, what, you don’t think I’m  _ strong _ enough!?”

“No!! I’m just saying that I can get Kokichi--”

“ _ Kaito,” _ Maki barks unkindly, sick and tired of the pair fighting so childishly all the time, “Move your _ ass!” _

Kaito mumbles a sharp consent, quickly stepping onto Tenko’s cupped hands and jumping upwards towards the hatch.

As soon as he’s on the roof, Maki shoots a flickering glance outwards at the Shrine of Judgement, “Tenko, these guys have got you, alright? I’m gonna try to find the safest path out.”

“Got it, Maki!” Tenko agrees. The former assassin takes off.

With a worried huff, Tenko turns back around to face Kokichi. He was still unresponsive. And probably not breathing. 

“Kokichi, please,” She starts softly. The gentle tone honestly surprised her a little bit. 

Now that she was alone in the elevator, racing against the clock, it was becoming increasingly clearer that perhaps Shuichi should have been the one to do the convincing. Tenko was never the most kind to Kokichi, and didn’t hold the same relationship with him as the former detective. But that being said, it wasn’t as if her hatred towards the tiny menace wasn’t mutual.

She crouches so she doesn’t tower over him. Now that she’s reached his level, she can tell that he’s muttering under his breath. It’s incomprehensible and rushed.

“Kokichi,” She starts, “I know it’s a lot to take in. I know everything seems really confusing right now,” Kokichi being  _ confused _ was a statement Tenko didn’t hear often, “But we need to go, okay? We’re in a lot of danger here. We need to go.”

“No,” It’s the first coherent word he’s spoken in hours, however breathy and powerless, “...No.”

It must be a lot. Knowing that somebody created you to be so untrustworthy, so paranoid and suspicious of others. Knowing that somebody made you to be so cruel and spiteful, so willing to harm others to destroy the killing game. Kokichi Ouma was a lie in itself, a lie that had indirectly murdered two people. A lie that had caused harm that seemed irredeemable, unforgivable.

Tenko drops to her knees, hesitantly moving forward, “...Kokichi, we’re not going to leave here without you--”

“Sorry.”

The apology is abrupt, clear and direct. 

“Sorry? Sorry for  _ what? _ ” She looks upwards, just in case the others had heard him. They squint at her with confusion. Nobody could understand him from that high up, “Kokichi, now isn’t the time to do this, you can say sorry once we’ve escaped--”

“Sorry,” He repeats. After a quick pause, he intentionally curls his lips upwards, his words slurred and whispered, “But I don’t wanna.”

Tenko huffs, but it wasn’t necessarily meant to be ill-intended, “This isn’t the  _ time, _ Kokichi! We need to leave!”

The pair’s eyes meet. There’s something broken behind Kokichi’s purple irises. Something hollow and damaged. Something regretful. Something  _ remorseful. _

“...No, I think I’m done now,” He refuses, voice uncharacteristically monotone as he intentionally avoids elaborating further on his vacant apology, “...I think I’m done.”

Tenko knows he isn’t going to budge. It’s hopeless, in a way. Absolutely heartbreaking to watch such a lively character completely abandon all chances of escape.

“Plea--” Before she is able to finish her begging, a loud thump slams onto the ground next to her. She whips her head around to find Kaito, who had just jumped back into the elevator with them, “Kaito! I  _ told you _ , I don’t need--”

“Go, Tenko,” He says, “I’ve got him.”

Tenko squints harshly at him, “Maki is going to  _ kill _ you if you don’t--”

“I can handle him. Let me do this.”

The elevator rattles. The destruction is getting worse.

It’s probably the first time they have ever argued where Tenko was willing to give up so easily. She had every reason to let Kaito take her place and book it out of the elevator before the blinding white light caught up to them, before every collapsed in on itself. Himiko waited above her, eyes wide in concern and panic, waiting anxiously for the brunette to join her and giving further reason for Tenko to accept Kaito’s offer. Everybody knew she was useless at consoling Kokichi, considering their troubled history and the distinct lack of respect between them. But Kaito… Surely Kaito wasn’t any better?

There was something about the way Kaito asked Tenko to leave that struck her. Perhaps he didn’t think he could get through to Kokichi better than she could. Maybe he knew that whoever was going to stay behind with Kokichi would have to go down with him. That would either make Kaito incredibly,  _ incredibly  _ stupid or incredibly brave. Both sounds about right.

Tenko nods grimly. For the first time in probably  _ ever _ , she does what Kaito tells her to do. 

Kaito flashes a grateful smile, before kneeling and providing Tenko with a step up. Shuichi and Himiko grab her as soon as she is propelled upwards, yanking her up onto the roof. The elevator rumbles as soon as she steps foot onto the ceiling, nearly throwing her right back down the hatch.

“Go! You don’t have much time!” Kaito waves away.

Shuichi frowns, eyes wild and desperate, “Kaito, we’re not going to leave you two--” 

“Shuichi. Listen,” The purple teen looks upwards. As soon as she saw the determined look in his eyes, Tenko knew exactly where this was headed. A goodbye speech, “I-- I can’t say I understand all of this… fiction crap, but I know Himiko is right! The relationships we have  _ now  _ are real, and that means you’re still my sidekick! So you can’t slack off now!” 

“Why are you talking like you’re going to get yourself killed? Are you going to get yourself killed?” Shuichi asks, voice breaking and eyes beginning to water again, “Because Kaito, I swear, I can  _ not _ handle this right now--” 

“I’m not gonna get myself killed, I’m telling you that ya gotta get everybody outta here!” The taller boy replies, “Really, Shuichi. I’ll be fine! Have some faith in me, yeah?”

Shuichi spends quite a bit staring the purple teenager down, obviously holding a very loud internal conflict. The former detective couldn’t bear to lose two close friends, but at the same time couldn’t be responsible for the rest of his friends succumbing to the Danganronpa shutdown. He looks over at Tenko, desperate for a clear answer. She didn’t want to stay here. 

Shuichi sighs heavily, “...Kaito, I better see  _ both _ of you outside--”

“I’ll see you outside, now  _ go!” _ The purple teenager orders.

With one last conflicted glance from the raven-haired teen, the trio hurriedly climb out of the elevator shaft. Kaito and Kokichi never reach the outside.

-=+=-

Water from the fountain splashes and floods the path the trio walked on, beating mercilessly at Tenko’s legs and threatening to swallow her whole. Now that she was outside, the destruction suddenly seemed much more powerful. Explosive. It sends water in every direction, overflowing the Shrine of Judgement and destroying the courtroom’s entrance.

“Is now a good time to mention I can’t swim!?” Tenko yells worriedly, staring down at her feet. The water reached her calves, drowning her socks and the bottom of her pants. Its icy chill sent sharp shivers up her spine.

“You have long legs!!” Himiko yells back at her. The water was much higher up her body, threatening to move upwards if they stood there any longer, “Use ‘em, woman!!!”

Tenko snaps out of it and waddles out of the fountain, grabbing Himiko and tossing her carefully over her shoulder before sprinting rather oddly towards the exit. The detective toddles after them, shooting anxious glances backwards at the elevator. 

The trio don’t find Maki at the entrance, and are forced to run further out into the courtyard, their soaking wet shoes sploshing and squeaking underneath them. As soon as they reach the outside, Tenko very quickly notices K1-B0 zooming across the barrier, blasting mercilessly at the academy below him. The glass barricade that had trapped the class there, caging them into this hideous killing game, was crumbling before their very eyes, dissolving into the same white squares. Like an area in a video game that lacked proper coding. Or a poorly pieced together arts and crafts project that disintegrated square by square.

It was almost beautiful. If Tenko wasn’t so stressed, so vigorously fighting for her life not to be reset and overwritten, she would almost appreciate the destruction.

Maki sprints up to them, narrowly missing a piece of roof that slams down next to her. She’s an expert at navigating the jagged ground below her, not even flinching as the area crumbles and crashes around her. Buildings are beginning to topple. Monuments are destroyed.

“There’s a direct path leading straight into the academy. It’s the only way that doesn’t have those… white square things,” Maki quickly briefs, “If we were more worried about K1-B0, I’d say keep low ground, but if we’re worried about the shutdown then high ground is the best bet. The white’s going inwards and up.”

The trio nod at her voicelessly. Tenko places Himiko on the floor, nervously avoiding Maki’s gaze. The former assassin squints at their silence, before she suddenly does a headcount and realizes just who exactly is missing.

“...Where’s Kaito?” She asks, voice quiet.

The Academy for Gifted Juveniles rumbles. The white tiles are getting faster, hungrier,  _ angier. _ Could they run from it? Was it useless to attempt to escape it, considering how the area they resided in was secluded and enclosed? Wouldn’t it just end up drowning them anyways, no matter where they ran to? So why was Tenko so inclined to fight against it?

Was this written in her character? To be so blindly determined? 

“He’s-- He wouldn’t leave the elevator unless Kokichi came with him. He told me to keep running,” Shuichi pants.

“And you  _ let _ him!?” Maki hisses back, “I’m gonna go get him--”

Tenko grabs at her arm and unsurprisingly receives a startled smack back, “Wait, we need to keep running! The shut down, it’s--”

Another blast, and the Shrine of Judgment basically collapses in on itself. The trio have to watch in horror as water from the fountain seeps out of the area and in the grass of the courtyard, the building tumbling down like a poorly constructed game of Jenga. There’s a choked sob from Shuichi, but Tenko can barely hear over the booming noise. 

Kaito and Kokichi could have survived the destruction if they were still in the elevator. What was really worrisome was the shutdown, the white tiles already engulfing the courtroom and moving towards Tenko and the others with vicious speed.

“No.  _ No!” _ Maki screams, “ _ Kaito!” _

Tenko tries to grab her arm but the former assassin is too strong. Too determined. 

Despite just being told their relationship was falsified, despite just being told that her affection towards the former astronaut was nothing but preconstructed lies, Maki runs head-first back into the Shrine of Judgement to save Kaito. She disappears into the blinding white light, abandoning the others.

“Oh,  _ god. Oh, god,”  _ Shuichi wheezes. Three of his friends, gone. 

Tenko can feel her heartbeat in her ears, her feet heavy against the floor and her clothes unpleasant against her skin, “...We need to keep moving.”

“No, wait, I-- I think they have the right idea. I-I think we should stop running away!” Himiko finally explains, “They  _ want _ us to keep fighting! They want to give the audience an ending! Running into the shutdown is the only way--”

“It’s a  _ reset!”  _

“We don’t know that! We don’t--”

“Himiko, we can’t let this happen. Please!” Tenko desperately tries to convince, “We tried giving them nothing and it didn’t work! They play unfairly! We need to keep running!”

Before Himiko could open her mouth to object, Tenko grabs her hand and begins to run away, giving Shuichi a light shove to get him started as well. 

The path Maki had illustrated was direct and clear, a winding road directly up the academy. Much of the courtyard was already falling into pieces, destroyed into complete rubble around them. Running up the stairs just seemed increasingly more stupid the further the trio went, considering how the building they were in could collapse at any moment because of K1-B0, but the shutdown was currently a much larger issue.

The conversation had reached a distinct halt as the trio sprinted further up the academy, the only noise being passed between them loud pants as they ran up flights of stairs. They sprint past the first floor, past the destroyed gymnasium and the crumbling dining hall. The walls around them disintegrate and dismantle, the shut down reaching the academy but still leaving a clear path for them to continue. Himiko spares no second glance at her demolished Ultimate Lab, a lab built in testament to her fake talent, and dashes past it as her props vanish and disappear. Shuichi nearly stumbles as he passes Kaede’s Ultimate Lab, his attention caught like a fish to a hook, but quickly he shakes out of it and rushes further down the hall.

They dart through the second floor, past the Ultimate Labs of the deceased maid and entomologist. They sprint silently through the third floor, shuttering as the shutdown reaches the Ultimate Assassin’s and the Ultimate Tennis Player’s lab. 

Why did Tenko want to flee this badly? It’s a question that badgered at her mercilessly. The fighting instinct in her brain, perhaps the unwavering perseverance that stemmed from her prewritten personality, harped at her and smashed against her skull until all Tenko could do was run with it. She had given up before. That part was very, very clear. Five hours ago, when Tenko had learned her entire personality was false, she had sat down and given up. She was happy with being sacrificed if it meant the destruction of the game, if it meant her friends got to leave and be happy. 

The shutdown was unfair. She wanted to kick and scream and flail her arms childishly at it. They had won. The audience didn’t want any more Danganronpa, had become restless and bored of the characters as well as the story. The Readers wanted them to win, the Watchers were  _ letting _ them win, but Team Danganronpa just couldn’t let them have that.

Her life meant that little to them. They saw her as some object to be rewritten and tinkered with until they finally won. This reset scared Tenko, it scared her to no end.

Why didn’t it scare Himiko that badly? The redhead was the one who gave that massive speech five hours ago about how they were real. Why wasn’t she fighting as hard as Tenko was? Somehow, the former mage had convinced herself that giving up was the best option. That this white thing wasn’t a reset, after all. 

And on that note, what the  _ fuck _ was this white thing!? Where were they!? In what location had they been secluded in that allowed their environment to be ripped from its hinges so easily, to fall apart and crumble at the Director’s whim!? How much of the academy was fake, and to what extent did this falsity extend?

Tenko questions every piece of wallpaper, every wooden floorboard underneath her. It slows her down. Shuichi runs ahead, sprinting up the next flight of stairs three steps at a time. The pair trail behind him, making their way steadily up towards the fourth floor. They had one more floor to escape to. The trio was running out of floors to sprint to, and the shutdown was only growing faster. It was going to catch up to them at any moment now.

And it doesn’t help that Tenko’s leg falls through the staircase.

Pieces of the stairs had already disintegrated into nothingness, and with perfect timing a large chunk of the cement crumbles and falls into the white light below it. Tenko stumbles into it, catching herself with her hands and very quickly attempting to get back on her feet.

“Tenko!” Himiko yells, pausing her run up the stairs to sprint back and assist. Shuichi, perhaps a little too preoccupied with fleeing for his life, doesn’t notice the pair falling behind until he’s already on the fourth floor.

Tenko tries to wave her away, motioning the redhead to forget about her and run to safety, but the former mage had already stooped to her level. The stairs rumble and crack under their weight, the white tiling swallowing the third floor whole behind them and climbing upwards towards their feet.

The pair sprint up another three steps before the stairwell underneath them completely collapses. 

It all happens so quickly. She must have reflexively reached out for Himiko, because the next thing she knows she’s grabbed onto the redhead with her left hand, gripping desperately onto what remains of the staircase with her right. There was still a distinct pathway cleared out for them up the staircase, up to the fourth floor, but everything behind and below them had been completely engulfed in blinding light. Tenko and Himiko hung helplessly over the shutdown, the only thing keeping them from falling into it being the brunette’s titanium grip against the concrete.

All Tenko can see below them is white. A shrill ringing bounces through her ears, adrenaline swooping through her body and quickening her heartbeat until she can feel her pulse in her grip. Her pants are heavy, sharp and incredibly choppy as she stares, _ horrified _ at the nothingness below her. All she can feel is fear. It’s the inevitable again, the inevitability of death finally coming back to consume her whole. 

She shrieks. It’s the first thing her body let’s her do, the rest of her completely frozen and locked into position. 

“ _ Guys!?” _ Shuichi shouts over the fourth floor banister.

“Shuichi, go! It’s too dangerous for you to help us, we’ll be fine!” Tenko screams back.

“But--”

“ _ GO!!” _

Shuichi gargles out some form of response but ultimately sprints away, confident in Tenko’s ability to pull them both up.

The brunette sighs shakily, her inhales sharp against her ribs and her breathing increasingly choppy.

“Okay,” She grits, nodding her head repetitively as if trying to convince herself, “Okay. Okay! We can do this. Himiko, I’m going to swing you, and I need you to grab onto the ledge once you--”

The redhead was still, swaying peacefully below Tenko and staring downwards at the light. Her copper gaze averts towards a camera, making direct eye contact with it. It isn’t venomous or angry, only collected. Like she had made peace with the camera. Like it was no longer her enemy, despite it having watched her through weeks of heartbreak and torture and pain. Himiko stared up at the camera vacantly, unblinking.

Tenko could feel her heart drop as soon as Himiko looked back up at her, meeting her mortified gaze with her own tranquil stare.

“Let go, Tenko,” The redhead says, “It’s over. Let go.”

This can’t be happening.  _ This can’t be happening. _ It’s as if Tenko’s heart has just stopped completely. Her grip is strong but her body is hollow.

“No. No don’t--” Tenko shakes her head, gulping down the lump in her throat, “Don’t say that. I’m going to swing you, so you need to be--”

“I’m not going to grab on. Tenko, it’s time to let go.”

Tenko continues to shake her head. Her head whips back and forth between the camera, at her steel grip against both the redhead’s arm and the concrete staircase above her. She wasn’t ready to give up. She wasn’t ready to let go. She wasn’t ready she wasn’t ready she wasn’t  _ ready-- _

“Tenko, don’t look at the shutdown. Look at me,” Himiko instructs. Tenko turns to meet her soft gaze, her own green eyes watering, “...Kokichi stayed in that elevator because he knew that Team Danganronpa wanted an ending and he wasn’t going to give it to them. Kaito stayed with him because he knew that running away would only be entertaining. Maki joined them because she knew that running away would only be entertaining--”

“No.  _ No, _ please, we can do this--”

Himiko does not grow any more agitated, her tone still soft and convincing, “We won, Tenko. We did it. And we need to let go now. Look up at the staircase for me,” Tenko does as she’s told, still shaking her head, “What do you see?”

She sees a direct path up to the fourth floor. The white tiles did not overflow the path created, cropping the trail perfectly and allowing them a clear and direct escape.

“They want us to keep running. They’re giving us a path for a reason,” Himiko further explains.

“No,” Tenko says, her voice much firmer, “No.”

“Do you know where that path is going to lead?”

“I’m  _ not _ going to let go, Himiko. I’m not. I’m not, I’m  _ not _ , I’m--”

“The seance room. It’s a direct path to the seance room,” Tenko can’t help but squeeze her eyes shut, her grip tightening around Himiko’s wrist, “They want you to go there so Team Danganronpa can finally have their stupid despair. They’re leading us there for an ending. We can’t let them have it.”

Tenko refuses to believe it. She refuses to believe that they are intentionally creating a pathway directly into a despairful ending. No. She’ll hold on to her stubborn belief as strongly as she’s holding onto Himiko and the staircase. If she let’s go, then her and Himiko will drop into this shutdown and they will be reset. They will be reworked and revamped until there is nothing left of either of them. There’s this awful part of her that  _ knows _ this will happen. 

Tenko is okay with dying knowing that she loves Himiko. But she will be fucking  _ damned _ if she gets reset and loses the one good thing in her life.

Himiko lets go of Tenko’s wrist. All that was suspending her in the air was Tenko’s own grip against her arm. As soon as she feels the redhead’s hand let go, Tenko whimpers hopelessly.

“Himiko,  _ please!”  _ She says, “Why are you giving up? Why are you--”

“Why are you holding on?” Himiko questions right back, “We… We were happy leaving this game if it meant we left together.”

“That was before everything started to reset--”

“It’s not going to reset. I  _ know _ it’s not going to. The longer we stay here, the longer we play into the Director’s hands.”

Tenko is fidgeting so restlessly that Himiko was beginning to sway within her grip. She kicks her legs, impatient and desperate, her teeth gritted as her clutch against the staircase begins to weaken.

“Let go, okay?” Himiko requests in a whisper, “You’ll be okay. We’re going to be okay.”

“No, we’re not.”

“Yes, we are, Tenko--”

“No.  _ No. _ No, I can’t--”

“Why not?”

“I’m  _ scared!” _ Tenko sobs, her glance lowering to meet the redhead’s eyes, “Himiko, I’m  _ scared!” _

Wasn’t this entertaining? Tenko dangling over what appears to a boundless, empty abyss of white? Holding onto the ledge tightly but gripping onto her love even tighter? Her same love that was so willing to give up?

To somebody, somewhere, it would be entertaining. Everything is entertainment to someone. Danganronpa as a concept was birthed from the idea of entertaining a broad audience, which stemmed into wild and exaggerated characters with dramatic backstories and extravagant love interests. Those same characters dangle over what could be a complete reset, what could be certain doom to themselves as people. The characters that you as an audience have grown attached to are now faced with a dilemma.

To continue with the fiction they become accustomed to? To grasp desperately at a lie and play directly into the Director’s hands if it meant they could still exist with each other? Or let themselves fall into the unknown? 

If you asked Tenko that question a few weeks ago, even  _ yesterday _ , she would have never been able to give you an answer. Well, first of all, she probably would have called you absolutely crazy and rather cryptic but ultimately she would have never been able to give you an answer. But now, as she holds onto Himiko for dear life, it wasn’t becoming any more clear. The redhead refused to continue, having accepted her fate a long, long time ago. Tenko thought she had also accepted her fate, five hours ago when she had so selflessly volunteered to be the sacrifice, but was now coming up short. 

She has come too far to forget. She has to keep reminding herself that this reset wasn’t set in stone, that neither her nor Himiko knew for certain that dropping into the nothingness meant they were succumbing to being completely rewritten and revamped. But she doesn’t want to take this chance. She had grown too much. Had grown too much as a person. She doesn’t want to forget about Kokichi, however obnoxious he was, with his stupid cracks and witty distractions that always intervened just before she completely spiraled out of her mind. She doesn’t want to forget about Maki, with her flickering smiles that told Tenko she had just told a killer joke or her cutthroat attitude that gave Tenko confidence when she was severely lacking. She doesn’t want to forget about Kaito and their childish, stupid banter, doesn’t want to forget all the times they had bickered and argued over something so petty and small.

She doesn’t want to forget about Shuichi. She doesn’t want to forget about the 2 AM encounters with him, doesn’t want her memories of them simply talking and chatting and drinking tea, conversing about nothing and everything at the same time. She wants that calm memory to be with her forever, the peace the former detective brought after she simply couldn’t will herself to sleep. She doesn’t want to forget about his self-deprecating jokes, about his anxious yet collected attempts at leadership. 

Tenko can’t, she  _ can’t _ forget about Himiko. She  _ refuses _ to allow the redhead’s smile to leave her memory, refuses to let slip the way Himiko’s nose twitches when she is confused or her giggles when she’s happy. Or when she bites her lip when she’s nervous or how she intentionally grows calmer just so Tenko doesn’t feel so anxious about everything toppling down around her. Tenko will not drop into the abyss and forget every card game she had lost to the former mage, would not forget every stupid joke Himiko laughed at despite the punchline being completely butchered. Or the absolute mess they would always leave in the kitchen or the dorky smiles they would shoot each other whenever they were in the courtroom. Or that kiss, that one moment of pure bliss, the awkwardness that led up to it and the complete euphoria that came crashing down. 

Or the confession. Tenko wants to remember Himiko as she stood in the center of the courtroom, body shaking in complete fear, and told her that she loved her. Even when everything around them had just been proven to be a huge lie, one big lie that they had believed all along, Himiko looked Tenko directly in the eyes and told her that she loved her. And Tenko loved her back. And loved her, and loves her, and  _ loves  _ her. 

And she’ll be damned if she forgets that.

“I-I can’t forget,” The brunette chokes, her voice weakening as well as her grip, “I don’t want to forget. I don’t wanna-- I can’t forget  _ you _ , I  _ can’t--” _

“Tenko, look at me.”

Their eyes meet. Tenko never stood a chance against Himiko’s gentle gaze. Had fallen under her spell ever since they stepped into that killing game.

“I will protect you,” Himiko promises.

Tenko believes her. Oh, god. She believes her.

Tenko still wasn’t able to tell you just what she would fall into, and could not definitively state what would happen if she were to let go of the ledge and drop with Himiko into the white below her. Maybe that was the exit? Maybe that was the true exit to this killing game all along?

How unsatisfying. They had fought for their freedom, deserved to escape. This ending didn’t feel like despair. But it didn’t feel like hope, either. It was simply… giving up. Not succumbing to their inner demons, not battling internally with their darkness and giving in to the evil that lay deep within their chest and threatened to spill over until all they could feel was hopeless, hopeless despair. Not pushing onwards despite everything having gone wrong, running towards the future with blind hope that everything will turn out okay if they simply believed in themselves. 

No. This was rejection. Rejection of continuing. 

Rejection of entertainment, of what the audience clawed and grasped at despite the lives they were ruining. Rejection of a system that thrived off of their raw, guttural screams and vivid emotion, no matter what end of the spectrum it may be on. 

Tenko and Himiko would reject a happy ending planned out for them if it meant rejecting the horrible ending that inevitably followed. The game would end by their hands, simply through inaction. Through giving up. Through surrender. Tenko would have never thought she would surrender to the killing game, at least not before today. She had been prewritten to hold this perseverance, to hold determination towards the survival of herself and every female classmate she encountered. This ending felt incorrect, felt completely out of character for either of them. Even if Himiko was borderline emotionless during the beginning of the killing game, she was never meant to completely give up like this. Tenko was about to drop them both into nothingness, was about to give up for the both of them, about to turn a corner that she could never return from.

Tenko couldn’t shake the belief that dropping them into the shutdown would only drop them into the unknown. Would drop them into the inevitable, would surrender them to a world that she would never be able to guess herself.

But Tenko believed in Himiko more. She believed the redhead when she promised to protect her. One last promise before the lovers completely give up. Completely reject what was considered entertaining, completely reject the audience and the killing game and the idea of a definitive ending. Completely reject Danganronpa. 

This was so, so boring.

With one last inhale, Tenko lets go.


	42. keep your chin up and live life facing forward! survive with me and everyone else!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so the original plan was to finish this two days from now bc then it would be my birthday but alas...... i am impatient.
> 
> i really hope you enjoy :) <333

_Cold._

_She’s cold. The hairs on her arms raise with a sharp chill. The surface she lies on is cold._

_She’s encapsulated. She lies on a steel table, looking upwards at teal-tinted glass. She’s in a pod. The chill is sharp against her skin. She was sleeping but now she is awake. She is so, very awake._

_Something covers her mouth. An oxygen mask. It fogs when she exhales, despite how little she breathes. There are wires attached around her forehead, electrodes connected to integral parts of her brain. A tube sticks into her arm, an IV. Intravenous feeding. They were keeping her alive._

_All she can feel is cold and panic. The world crashes down on her, the sudden horror and distress rising through her spine and up her throat. Despite all of her limbs working, it was as if she couldn’t move. She was stuck to this table, stuck in this pod, at least until she could find a solid breathing rhythm and focus. What would Himiko do? Himiko would inhale and hold for a few seconds before releasing. She finds herself forced to slow her breathing as she analyzes the location and situation she currently found herself in._

_Her hair is long again. Not as long as it used to be, but much longer than it was a few hours ago. It stuck to her sweaty skin, mangled and knotted, greasy and clearly unkempt despite being tied in two low ponytails. She was in a school uniform, her blue woolen sweater growing increasingly itchy and uncomfortable. Her limbs are heavy, her strength practically nonexistent. She’s weak._

_Tenko blinks. Where is she?_

_If she was to squint through the blue-tinted glass surrounding her, she would just be able to notice the two large lights positioned above her. They are dull, blurry in her eyes. But they are all she can see. To her right and left, a convenient steel wall. If anybody was next to her, she would not be able to see them._

_She could hear them, though. Somebody to her right was banging against their pod, slamming their fists against the barriers. Somebody else, further down to the left, began knocking back. One of them tried to yell out but it was so quiet it was incomprehensible._

_Tenko wasn’t sure where they were finding this strength from. Surely they must have been awake much longer than she had. She had only just awoken, dazed and completely disoriented, unable to lift her arms to alert the people around her that she was awake._

_Before she is able to even attempt moving, shadows begin to dance outside of her pod. There are people there, men and women in doctor’s coats, chatting and conversing rather hurriedly to each other. Tenko stares at them, eyes wide and frightened, but receives nothing back. Before long, one of them clicks a few buttons and the glass encasing her opens._

_It all happens too quickly, too roughly. The doctors grab Tenko forcibly by the shoulders, pulling the girl harshly into a sitting position. They begin ripping wires from her, throwing her oxygen mask to the floor and yanking her IV unsympathetically from her arm. Before the teenager could yelp in pain, before she could even take a moment to inhale after her oxygen mask had been thrown so unceremoniously off, two doctors grip onto her arms and drag her out of the pod._

_Frantically, Tenko attempts to grasp the location she was in. It’s a large room of sorts, filled with medical trays filled with scalpels and needles, as well as copies of the same capsule she had just been pulled from. There are sixteen of them. Most are empty. Some hold shadows of people, figures that she did not have the time to identify. Two of them are slamming themselves against the glass, restless and desperate to free themselves. There’s one pod that holds no figure at all; instead it looks more like a computer box, blinking bright red to signify danger. Tenko is whisked out of the room before she has any time to analyze further._

_Blood runs down her arm where the IV was ripped from her. She’s light-headed. The doctors pass her to two guards, dressed in military gear with tinted helmets. She tries to struggle but is too weak. They end up dragging her out of the room and down the hall, her feet just barely shuffling along with them._

_It’s a hospital, Tenko notices. The walls are bland and hold little excitement. More men and women in doctor’s attire rush past her as she is yanked down the hall against her will, unresponsive and uncaring to her situation. Tenko’s eyes wander everywhere, her breathing sporadic and wild, the only words that escape her mouth are in the form of confused, incomprehensible gargles. The guards are hurting her, their grip against her arm so tight it was bound to leave bruises._

_“...Where…?” Her one intelligible word goes by unheard as the guards continue to drag her down the hallway, “Stop--- You’re hurting me--!”_

_She plants her feet firmly against the floor, a sudden burst of energy striking her abruptly. Suddenly thrown off balance, the guards falter from their typical walking pattern and nearly drop the girl on the floor, but roughly pick her up and continue before she has any other chance to flee. Their grips tighten. She’s losing circulation in her arm._

_They turn the corner and the hallway splits. Up ahead and to the left, beams of natural light emerge from behind two doors. An exit to the outside, an escape from the hospital she was captured in. Directly in front of her was the rest of the hospital. It had been divided by a see-through wall, a glass barrier that forbids those in that area of the hospital to reach where Tenko was and, presumably, the outside._

_The people on the other side of the glass looked familiar. Very, very… Familiar._

_It was quite the large group of people, of varying shapes and sizes, all clad in these rather bland, cotton, beige hospital uniforms that made them look more like nurses than patients. Tenko was too disoriented to quickly identify who they were, but was able to grasp onto shapes and colors. Tall with brown hair. Short with tan skin. Lanky with yellow eyes._

Tenko! _They shout, smiles wide and arms gesturing cheerfully,_ You did it, Tenko!

_She doesn’t reply to them. They’re all yelling at her, waving her over as if they were expecting her. They smile at her warmly. Tenko is in way too much shock to give them anything back. But for some reason, that sense of familiarity, that lingering feeling of nostalgia in their words, shoots her wide awake once more._

_Tenko flips out, thrashing and kicking and yelling. It takes a lot of people by surprise._

_At first she was pretty successful. She struggles out of the guards’ grip, slamming against the floor and beginning to squirm away from them. A few of the occupants behind the glass wall cheer her on. They want her to escape. They all have one common enemy. One of the girls behind the barrier, strawberry blonde, pumps her fists in the air and tells her to kick their asses._

_One of the guards grab at her right leg, so she uses her left one to kick them directly in the head. They don’t give her the opportunity to return to her feet. Whenever she tries to stand, they only move to attack her again. More guards are showing up. One of her assailants had called for backup. Tenko couldn’t understand why they needed four people to restrain one teenage girl. It all becomes way too much for her to resist any longer. The people around her turn into ambiguous blurs._

_Somebody strikes her in the stomach. And then again. And then again. There are loud gasps from behind the glass wall._

Stop! _They’re screaming, banging against the barrier. The glass must be strong, purposefully resilient for this reason,_ Why are you hurting her!?

_They keep striking her until Tenko stops thrashing. Everything hurts. It’s cold on the floor._

_Doctors halt their jog down the hallway and motion the group behind the barrier to back away, gesturing for them to return to their rooms and ordering them to remove themselves from the glass. The strawberry blonde ignores this advice fully, already beginning to fiddle with the electronic lock that forbade them from assisting the crumpled girl on the floor. The muscular one had run back down the hall and returned with a foldable chair. With a quick yell of, “Duck!”, he chucks it directly at the glass. It cracks it, but does not break it._

_Blood runs down Tenko’s nose. She can taste it on her lips. She’s bleeding onto the floor, staining it perhaps permanently, trembling in pain and eyes squinted in dazed confusion. She feels completely, utterly helpless. Weak._

_They grab her roughly by the shoulders and begin yanking her down the hallway again. This time, Tenko can not find her footing and gets dragged along pathetically. The group behind the wall were expecting her to be dragged towards them, but the guards take a sharp left and guide her forcibly towards the exit. The crowd behind the glass shriek and shout as if it would make any difference._

Where are you going!? Where are you going with her!?

_“Wait,” A doctor says, frantically yanking a wet wipe from its box and wiping away the trails of blood running down Tenko’s nose and arm, “She can’t go out looking like that. People are gonna throw a fit--”_

_“She won’t be in the open long,” A guard replies._

_Tenko is outside._

_It’s nice out. Lovely and warm. The sky is beautiful. A beautiful blue color, stretched across the sky, infinite and never ending. Never ending, unlike the academy she had been encaged in for so long. The clouds were soft and the sun was bright, warm against Tenko’s skin. This sky was real. The sky was real and gorgeous and Tenko wanted to just stand there and cry._

_They wouldn’t let her appreciate the outside. The guards gave her no time to pause and look at the nature growing invasively next to the street, gave her no time to sit down in the warm sun and breathe in the fresh air. They pull her down the pathway, drag her down the sidewalk just as she is able to find her footing again. They were yanking her directly to a black van, one that had just pulled up in front of her._

_There were people waiting for her. The most alarming, perhaps, were the people waiting in the black van. The driver of the vehicle exits to open the passenger door, allowing more Danganronpa employees to file out, pens and forms in hand. They rush at Tenko too quickly, shouting and demanding that she take one of the pens being ever so politely shoved into her face and sign this form. And that form. And this one, or that one, or this one. She’s so fazed and disoriented that she must have ended up grabbing a pen._

_Others, presumably not from Danganronpa, were starting to crowd as well. They created lines on either side of Tenko, lining the pathway she was being dragged down. Once Tenko noticed the guards that were holding them back, keeping them from getting to her, she recognized half of the crowd as journalists, the other half emotional onlookers. They held cameras, cameras that flashed and photographed her as she walked painfully down the driveway. They were waiting for her. They knew Tenko had just emerged from perhaps the_ worst _season of Danganronpa yet, of course journalists were hungry for answers and stories. One news crew manages to duck under the guards, running at her with a microphone._

 _“Ms. Chabashira, could you describe how you felt once you discovered your character had been manufactured artificially?” The reporter asks, shoving recording equipment in her face. Tenko can barely hear them over the mass of people screaming at her to sign forms, shrieking and yelling that she needs to do it now, she needs to sign them_ now. 

_Even though she is severely disoriented, she has the common sense to not sign anything. She remembers Tsumugi. She remembers her advice. Her inaction only makes the Danganronpa officials angrier, their grips even tighter as they pull her towards the car._

_“She’s not answering any questions,” A guard replies to the reporter, attempting to shove them aside._

_“Where am I!?” Tenko tries to ask desperately, yelling into the microphone, “Where-- What’s going on--”_

_The reporter holds no sympathy, does not try to break her free from Danganronpa’s grasp, “Ms. Chabashira, can you comment on your relationship with Ms. Yumeno--”_

_“We said, no questions!” The guard repeats, pushing their recording equipment over._

_Blood was running down her face again. More cameras flash at her, more people screaming and demanding for more from her. She can’t give them anything. She’s not strong enough, too dazed to respond._

_Somebody grabs at her wrist and tries to force her hand. Despite having been beaten up before for attempting to resist, Tenko tries it again anyways, flailing to the floor and shrieking as more people crowded her with cameras and forms and microphones. They want more from her, want things that she simply can not give,_ refuses _to give. It’s too much, too much for her to possibly understand at once. Her entire body aches, her stomach in great pain, her arms trembling as she bats people away desperately. It’s hard to breathe. Nobody was letting her_ breathe.

_Somebody shrieks from behind her. A war-cry. Tenko can’t see who shouted through the horde of people around her._

_One of the guards yips in pain. Then another. Then another. People begin to dismantle, the crowd separating to avoid the screeching new assailant who came running in. Tenko picks her trembling head up from the floor, craning her neck to view who was coming to her rescue._

_It was Himiko. It was Himiko with a scalpel._

_The tiny girl was waving the weapon around with all of her might, bawling and yelling at anybody who reached down to grab her or Tenko. She stabs the scalpel into somebody’s thigh, then into another person’s arm, wildly and emotionally forcing the crowd to disperse. She was in a grey school uniform, the same school uniform Tenko had seen during those dreaded audition tapes, her hair let down and whipping wildly in the wind. Around her right eye, a bruise that Tenko had not seen on her before. In fact, there were multiple subtle differences to Himiko that weren’t the same from the killing game: Her small body looked a bit more battered, her hair was considerably wavier, her teeth a little less straight. Things that had been altered in the simulation._

_But it was still undeniably Himiko. The redhead reaches Tenko and clings onto her, shielding her from guards who were still attempting to drag her into the black vehicle, blocking her from forms and cameras. She swipes and claws at anybody attempting to seperate them, attached almost permanently to Tenko and refusing to let go no matter how many people tried to drag her off. The cameras filmed the riot. The journalists were making the guards uncomfortable. They did not want this negative media attention. Especially the negative attention that would come with harming two teenage girls._

_Desperately, Tenko latches on. It hurts to hug her, but Himiko was all the protection she had. Himiko was all she had. The only thing that made sense._

_The horde was dispersing. Tenko could finally breathe, finally had some space. The guards were dancing back and forth between attacking and keeping distance to wait for their next orders. The door of the black van behind Tenko remained open, waiting for them, but neither budge from their position. The only movement comes from the occasional threat from Himiko, who still clutched tightly onto the scalpel she had snatched from the hospital._

_Now that Tenko could focus more clearly, she comes to the conclusion that Himiko must have thrown herself out of the pod. She must have ripped the IV out of herself, with strength that Tenko could not even begin to comprehend, grabbed the tiny weapon and booked it down the hallway towards the exit. Considering how some others were attempting to exit the pods but found little success, perhaps Himiko’s pod had been opened prior, giving the redhead access to the outside. Those remaining in the pods must have been the rest of the crew: Kaito, Maki, Kokichi, K1-B0 (?), and Shuichi._

_More people were emerging from the hospital, but Tenko had her eyes squeezed shut painfully most of the time, unable to fully grasp the chaos around her. What she saw could have very well been tricks of the light. Her eyes could have been playing tricks on her, the pain catching up to her brain and causing her to hallucinate._

_But for the briefest of moments, she could have sworn she saw Miu._

_The former Ultimate Inventor runs out of the hospital, foldable chair over her head, slamming the metal object against a guard. Cameras attack her so quickly that it was almost like she was never there._

_Another hallucination, another trick of the light that looked eerily like Ryoma, swerves skillfully around the horde and snatches forms directly from people’s hands. A vision that mirrored Rantaro almost perfectly ducks into the crowd of people surrounding Tenko and Himiko, extending his arms and creating a rather efficient barrier between the two girls and the onlookers. Another shadow that looked incredibly similar to Gonta grabbed a guard and tossed him over the sea of journalists like a javelin. As soon as the guard collides to the ground, landing safely in the grass but unable to return back to the riot through the wall of reporters, the former Ultimate Entomologist cups his hands around his mouth and yells a gentle, “Sorry!”._

_Tenko could only spot four of them, four of the deceased who had sprinted outside to face the rowdy crowd. The rest must be helping those still trapped in the pods. They were refusing to allow Danganronpa to take anybody. They have been given one opportunity to do so, one opportunity to fight back, and they take it. It must have been Miu who disabled the electronic lock on the see-through barrier. It must have been Gonta who attempted to reach Tenko as the guards were beating her, the one who threw the chair against the glass._

_Tenko’s eyes shut and shut for good. She squeezes her eyes closed, refusing to look up, trembling in Himiko’s arms with her teeth gritted in pain. She waits for the noise to leave, waits for the ringing in her ears to cease. Himiko is still clutching onto her, draped over her form, also refusing to give any reporter a passing glance._

_The revived students of the Academy for Gifted Juveniles protect them. They’ve created a circle around them. They’ve made a wall, formed a barrier._

_It was the waiting game again. Waiting for people to grow tired, waiting for them to grow bored of their pain. The students refused to budge. A few times, Tenko kicks out suddenly, kicking some unsuspecting guards in the shin. It was fun._

_Himiko glances up around her, checking the damage while still latching onto Tenko. It’s clear both of them are disoriented, both of them trembling violently, but the redhead still makes an effort to communicate despite the chaos around them._

_“The sun… is very warm,” She whispers rather flippantly. Tenko finds herself chuckling underneath her, her watery giggles making both of them bounce with laughter, “And-- I told you I would protect you.”_

_“...How many people did you stab with that thing?” Tenko mumbles back, words slurred and slowly gaining power with every minute she rests._

_“You should be worried,” Himiko softly jokes back, “I am a force to be reckoned with… an unstoppable enemy.”_

_Tenko snickers under her breath, an unexpected smile creeping up on her, “You truly are my hero.”_

_“Heehee, it was-- Oh, look! Look, can you see that?”_

_Tenko focuses, taking a few shaky breaths to truly steady herself before she very slowly opens her eyes. Himiko was pointing through the crowd, pointing past the revived figures of her friends that gave Tenko a headache just looking at them. Past the guards and the hungry reporters. She was gesturing softly into the green grass, the grass that grew just outside of the hospital._

_Flowers. Real flowers._

_They were so pretty in real life._

-=+=-

 **put us in that killing game and we would simply not die** 😎 **😤 rip to everyone else but we’re different 😈**

**August 9th, 12:24 PM**

**sherlockgnomes:** are we still on for lunch?

 **astroNUT:** Yeah!

 **knifeemoji:** yes

 **karatekid4:** Yes me and himiko are coming but shes sleeping right now :D !!!

 **karatekid4:** Kokichi ??

 **grapeboy:** i 👁️ make a motherfucker 😡😡 say 👄 OH YEAH 😎👌 im cold 👀❄️ as a lion 🦁😶with no🙅♀️ hair 💇♀️ if you 😮👈 ever see me 👉👀😀 fightin 🤜👊🥊 in da forest 🌲🌱 with a 🤔😤 grizzly bear 🐻🙌 HELP THE BEAR ❗❗😠😤 CUZ THAT BITCH 😵😠 GON NEED IT 😎😎

 **sherlockgnomes:** yeah he’s coming with me

 **sherlockgnomes:** he also says thank you for inviting him

 **grapeboy:** i most certainly did not 😡😡 this is slander and i will see you in court 

**sherlockgnomes:** let’s do it baby i know the law

 **karatekid4:** NRJSLHFSERUGH

 **sherlockgnomes:** does anybody else need a ride? im paying for a taxi and we can pick you up on the way there

 **astroNUT** : It’s all g! Maki and I are taking the train

 **sherlockgnomes:** oh ew i thought you both had bikes?

 **astroNUT:** We’re trying to get used to public transport! I got a haircut so hopefully less people recognize us this time

 **karatekid4:** Hair cut as in no gel or do you mean something else?? 

**knifeemoji** : haircut as in it’s brown now.

 **sherlockgnomes:** WOAH

 **grapeboy:** basic 🤔

 **astroNUT:** Purple was too flashy! Everybody kept recognizing me with it

 **knifeemoji:** yeah, kokichi. people can spot your grape hair from miles away.

 **sherlockgnomes:** lmao 

**sherlockgnomes:** anyways are you guys sure you don’t need a ride?

 **knifeemoji:** we’re sure. thanks, though.

 **astroNUT:** Yeah, there’s no way I’m taking my bike to see you guys again lmao

 **karatekid4:**???

 **astroNUT:** The last time I left my bike unoccupied Himiko and Kokichi attached helium balloons to it

 **karatekid4:** OH YEAH NFEJLKF

 **astroNUT:** I still don’t understand what they were trying to do??

 **grapeboy:** we wanted to see if it would fly 😎

 **sherlockgnomes:** and did it

 **grapeboy:** only the ass

 **karatekid4:** H u h

 **grapeboy:** you heard me. only the ass

 **astroNUT:** What was the point?? I mean, what would you have done if it actually flew off

 **knifeemoji:** shot it down

 **sherlockgnomes:** LMAOOOOO okay last call is everybody good for transportation?

 **karatekid4:** **👍**

 **astroNUT:** Wish us luck on public transport 😂😂😂

 **karatekid4:** Did you just use the laughing emoji unironicaly

 **knifeemoji:** maybe kokichi and himiko were right to tie balloons to your bike

 **sherlockgnomes:** HAHHHAHHAHAHAHHHAFHDSJKFHAK

 **karatekid4:** MAKIHDSKFHFEJH

 **astroNUT** : MAKI………….

 **grapeboy** : keep your head up king your crown is falling 😌👑✨

 **sherlockgnomes** : maki how does it feel being the funniest person on the planet

-=+=-

“Hnngh…. You type really loudly…”

Tenko hums in slight shock, averting her gaze downwards at the tiny girl wrapped in her arms. Himiko rubbed her eyes sleepily, still snuggled closely into her girlfriend’s chest.

“Oh!! I’m so sorry, did I wake you?” Tenko whispers back, quickly placing her phone on the bedside table.

Himiko shakes her head, her eyes closing peacefully once more, “No… I was awake. M’just sleepy.”

Tenko smiles softly, “Well, I hate to wake you up, my love, but we do need to leave soon!! We have lunch, remember?”

The redhead groans, dismantling herself from the taller girl with a long stretch. She had been in her pajamas all afternoon: one of Tenko’s graphic tees that definitely did not fit on her. Their one-bedroom apartment had already flooded with sunlight, peeking through their lace curtains, having signaled a new day a long, long time ago. Luckily, they didn’t need a whole lot of time before they had to meet the group for lunch at 1:00. Himiko got to choose the restaurant this time, and she purposefully chose the tea cafe eight minutes down the road. Saturday was their time to sleep in, considering every other day was filled with online school and therapy, so both of them attempted to make the most of their spare time. And by “making the most”, they meant sleeping.

Himiko tumbles out of the bed, dragging the duvet with her and leaving Tenko barren of any cover. She giggles from the floor, chuckling from her chest, and the pair spend a few seconds just dorkily laughing at each other, unmoving.

Eventually they realize they do need to get changed. Tenko spends a lot less time on her outfit, not necessarily too fussed on her appearance, chucking on a blue, floral button-up shirt tucked into a pair of ripped, blue mom jeans. She finds a woolen grey sweater on the floor and throws it on as well, adjusting a black belt around her waist and tying the laces to her black leather boots. Once she’s set on her outfit, brushing hastily through her once-again neck length hair, she slips into the kitchen and turns on the tea kettle.

Finding the quiet too much to bear, considering Himiko was still getting changed, Tenko flicks on the television. It lingers a little too long on the news. She allows the reports to play in the background as she thumbs mindlessly through a game on her phone.

One of the reporters, a man who usually came on the news to give his own loud opinions, gestured civilly with his hands, “...And regarding the destruction done by the AHL, it’s going to take a large group of people before they actually manage to take down Danganronpa for good. It--It is a nationwide company, the amount of work that would need to be done could take years before--”

“Right, right, but we still have to acknowledge that this group of radicals are not displaying their full potential,” A lady politely interrupts, “The destruction we saw at the East Danganronpa Headquarters was done by a small group of them. There’s no telling how many former killing game participants they have in their ranks.”

“Babe? What are they talking about?” Himiko calls from the other room. Tenko looks up from her phone, having been rather distracted.

“Err-- Uh, nothing, Mimi. Just AHL again,” She replies. The kettle sings loudly and she slowly glides to interact with it.

Himiko shuffles out of the room, ruffling sleepily at her strawberry-blonde hair. She had dyed it a while back to something tamer, her fiery red hair quite loud and attention-attracting. It wasn’t the same strawberry-blonde as Miu’s was, a bit darker in color, but it was still a change.

With pursed lips and no shirt on, she stares at the screen.

“...Damn, just the headquarters? Should have gone for the hospitals,” She mumbles.

“Oop, don’t let Danganronpa hear you say that,” Tenko snickers back.

Himiko fakes a gasp as she trails back into her bedroom to finish changing, “Oh no! How could they have possibly known that I hate Danganronpa? I had been so secretive about it!” The pair laugh for a moment, “Hey, have you seen my sweater? The, uh, pink one?”

“Have you tried looking under the duvet? Maybe you hid it when you yanked the blanket down.”

“....That would be so funny.”

“That would be quite funny!”

Himiko leaves and returns in a whole different outfit, an oversized light pink sweater (Himiko had noticed the white bunny on it and immediately thrown it in their shopping cart) over a flowing, knee-length pink dress. Her socks had two pink stripes on the top and reached mid-calf, covered by simple white Mary Janes. Tenko’s smile reaches her ears.

“You look so cute!!” She compliments. 

Himiko twirls bashfully, “Oh, stop… You also look amazing.”

“According to anonymous sources, Danganronpa will be devising plans to, quote on quote, ‘eliminate the AHL before the damage becomes irreversible’, however currently those plans are confidential,” The news reporter says, overlapping their conversation, “We asked Danganronpa for clarification, however they refused to comment--”

Himiko finds the remote and shuts the TV off.

“Ready to leave?” She says quickly, averting the subject.

Tenko stammers, “Oh, uh-- I just started making tea.”

Himiko grins, shuffling forward and grabbing both of the brunette’s hands.

“Babe,” She starts, “...We’re going to a tea cafe.”

“...Holy crap,” Tenko replies, eyes closing in dramatized disappointment, “...How could I have done this...”

“It will be okay. You can get through this,” Himiko jokes, “Let’s go!”

The pair take off, snatching their face masks off of the counter, the masks they had spent a day painting over because it hid their identities better than sunglasses could. With one last outfit check, prodding at each other's clothes to ensure they were in the best condition, Himiko and Tenko grab at their longboards before sprinting out the door. They rush down the staircase of the apartment complex, careful not to trip and fall over each other. With quick hellos to their neighbor, a college student leaving to grab groceries, they are off as soon as they reach the outside.

Canada was nice. It had been quite the massive cultural shock upon moving, considering how all six of them were Japanese and even less of them knew English or French, but when you’ve lived there for six months you get kinda used to it. People here were lovely, especially in the tiny town that Tenko and Himiko lived in. And not a lot of them were aware of Danganronpa. That was the main thing. They hear about the aftermath on the news, are aware of the AHL and what they were attempting to do, but not many people in their town actively watch the killing game. And even if they did, they weren’t killing game sympathizers.

The day Tenko and Himiko had _actually_ been released from the hospital was horrible. Everybody hated them. The Director had been right, Danganronpa _was_ a lot of people’s only reason for living, so it pissed many people off that it had been shut down so abruptly and so _boringly_. They had crowded the two of them as they walked into the taxi, yelling and jeering and screaming at them the whole walk out of the hospital. The days after that were filled with overwhelming paranoia, sleepless nights of restless screaming and nightmares. Death threats arrived in the mail. They had moved twice when they had been in Japan, and both times somebody managed to locate their apartment and doxx them online.

Tenko was pretty sure it was Kaito who suggested they request to apply for refugee statuses in Canada. He had been receiving death threats, too, but the final straw was when Maki called him in the middle of the night saying somebody had broken into her house and vandalized it with threats of torture. It was time they left. They weren’t safe there.

Tenko can say that she was a lot happier in Ontario. Things were finally growing better, a lot more peaceful than before. Of course, things weren’t _great_ , considering how both her and her girlfriend had guilt and pain and probably irreversible trauma from that killing game, but things were getting _better_. They’ve both picked up new hobbies, considering how their “Ultimate Talents” felt quite unnatural now, and are currently on the second season of Steven Universe. They had some things going for them.

“Do you think we could stop at that party store? I wanna buy more balloons,” Himiko questions rather unseriously, pushing against the floor so her longboard catches up to the brunette’s.

“What for?”

Himiko turns to meet her green eyes, her hair whipping against her face. She hastily pushes it back, a sly smirk curling up her cheeks.

“....No reason….” She replies suspiciously.

“Kaito isn’t taking his bike.”

Himiko clicks her tongue. _Nevermind,_ she says voicelessly.

The weather outside was actually pretty lovely today, a cool day. It was as if the temperature knew the group was meeting and decided to let them have this one nice day. The pair passed by the farmer’s market, past the community garden. A few of the ladies tending to their own vegetables wave at them as they skate by, wishing them a nice day and returning back to work. As soon as Tenko had found out they had a community garden, she basically did a backflip. The girlfriends had their own section, filled with flowers they thought were pretty. Nothing actually practical, like fruits or vegetables, just flowers they could use as birthday gifts for each other or special dates.

Eventually they pass by the party store. Himiko frowns at it, but ultimately decides against pulling anything again. It’s kinda become a tradition during these bi-monthly lunch hangouts that somebody pulls some kind of harmless practical joke. It was Himiko who made the first move, just some light fun in an attempt to get Kokichi back on his feet. Eventually the smaller pair formed some kinda prank dream team, and everybody has been frightened since. Tenko had immunity because half of that dream team consisted of her girlfriend, so she usually just sits back when Shuichi’s pocket gets filled with two (2) toads, or when Maki unknowingly sits on a whoopie cushion and alerts the entire restaurant, or when Kaito’s bike gets lifted in the air by a gaggle of helium balloons.

Passing the party store meant they were getting very close to Carmelito, the agreed upon restaurant. Himiko pulls to the side, gesturing for Tenko to follow.

“Hold on, I think Shuichi’s trying to text us,” She says, whipping out her phone.

-=+=-

 **thirdwheeling** **✨**

**August 9th, 12:58 PM**

**shoe:** hey gang don’t tell kaito i told you this but they had a pretty rough time on the train so if you were planning on doing anything please refrain

 **shoe:** oh wait i forgot himiko was asleep…… that’s my bad 

**mimi:** OwO what’s this???（＾ω＾）

 **shoe:** apology redacted 

**mimi:** bruh

 **shoe:** im

 **tee:** HEY you better redact your redaction right now !!!!!!!

 **tee** : That’s my girlfriend your talking about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 **mimi:** 〔´∇｀〕babe!!!

 **tee** : :DDD Babe !!!!!!

 **shoe: ……..** could y’all use the private messaging system

 **tee** : Y’all

 **shoe:** … yeehaw

 **mimi:** Perish.

 **mimi:** also yeah we’ll lay off bahaha ᵔᴥᵔ

 **shoe:** lmfao ok thanks! are you guys almost here?

 **tee:** Yes ! Were on are longboards

 **shoe:** oh epic

 **shoe:** we’re at a table already so once you guys get here just join us!

 **mimi:** (∩｀-´)⊃━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

 **shoe:** do you just have these on deck 

**tee:** She has a whole page of them in her notes !! It is very cute :D !!!

 **mimi:** they make me happy :)

 **shoe** : god i wish that were me

-=+=-

Hopefully the managers wouldn’t be too angry with the teenagers for taking their longboards inside. Tenko awkwardly tried to hide it behind her back but it only made things worse. Himiko struts in, eager to greet her friends, and nearly wacks over a toddler with her board.

“Guys?” The redhead calls out, too frightened to use their actual names in the chance that other people in the cafe knew who they were.

Shuichi stands up from the corner of the cafe, excitedly waving them over as Kokichi gets up to join them. The taller boy was in a navy sweater, he always is, raven hair still all natural and untouched. He’s probably the only one of them who hadn’t done anything to his hair, despite his appearance being the least changed from the real world to the simulator. He’s still his awkward, lanky self, pale and noticeably tired. 

He had been the last person to leave the simulator. After the initial shock wore off, the shock of discovering that everybody was alive and the universe they had been in was nothing but a virtual reality, he told everybody what happened. He had tripped and fell. At first it was really funny; The protagonist of the series, who had fought tooth and nail to survive with his friends, trips and falls over the loose floorboard in the seance room and collapses straight into the shutdown. But as he explained more, explained how light-headed and hopeless he had felt, explained how being the sole survivor was incredibly unappealing to him, him tripping and fall made a little more sense. A ton of online commentators believed that Shuichi tripping and falling was the most “anticlimactic, unsatisfying ending they had ever seen in a Danganronpa yet”, so the raven-haired teen considers it a win. 

Kokichi shuffles where he stands. He had dyed his curly hair to be a much darker shade of purple and is wearing a light pink hoodie with the Japanese words for “skate fast, eat ass” on them, matching Himiko’s color scheme. As soon as he sees the two girls enter, he smiles at them widely. Yup, he still has that gap in between his two front teeth. As soon as people realized that the simulator had intentionally removed the gap, the group started placing bets on how long it would take until he got braces. It would take quite some time, apparently. He was stubborn.

“Himi!! Himi, come here!!” Kokichi immediately calls, first hugging the redhead in hello before dragging her over to his side of the table to show her something on his phone, “You remember the webcomic I was telling you about? Well, it…”

Their conversation fades out. Shuichi extends his arms warmly towards Tenko, and the two embrace a lot more calmly.

“How are things? How’s school going?” The teen boy asks.

Tenko shrugs, “Eh, you know. Still awful at it!! How about you, how are you?”

“Getting there!” He replies, smile polite, “Getting there. I’ve got news, actually. I’ll wait until Kaito and Maki get here.”

“Sit down, already!” Kokichi demands, jumping into his seat and motioning for the others to take their own chairs, “Stop standing there all awkwardly and sit down.”

“Nice to see you too, Kokichi,” Tenko says.

He grins, nose upturning cheekily in response. 

After Himiko and Tenko shove their longboards into a corner, the incomplete group sit down in their metal garden chairs, pulling themselves rather noisily towards the table. Their menus, printed on white card stock and laminated, were shoved to the side by Himiko and Tenko, who have already been to this cafe more times than enough to have memorized their orders. Considering how the breakfast cafe they discussed back in the killing game was not, in fact, a real location, Tenko and Himiko had to find another cafe to eat at. It just so happened there was a lovely one a few blocks from their new apartment. They had their first date here.

Kaito and Maki arrive about five minutes later. Maki’s appearance had, just like the rest of them, changed slightly from the simulator: her features were less sharp and slightly more rounded, her eyes were more of an amber color than the striking red they used to be. She had cut her brown hair to her shoulder blades, wrangling it into two space buns but allowing the two white strands at the front of her hair to frame her face. She’s in black cargo pants, a black and white striped turtleneck under a black shirt with a red band logo, and black boots. Her eyeliner is so sharp it could kill a man. “E-thot!” Kokichi had labeled her as soon as she entered the door.

Kaito had not been lying. He has brown hair now. The group crowd him and gawk at his new hair color, ruffling his ungelled hair and patting it childishly. Other than that, not much had changed about the teen. Just a normal Adidas hoodie and jeans. He looked quite tired, though. Hadn’t been sleeping much, according to Maki.

“How was the,” Kokichi pretends to gag, “Train?”

Shuichi side-eyes him. He must have had the same conversation with him that he had with Himiko and Tenko: _Don’t talk about the train ride._ Kokichi very blatantly ignores him. 

Nobody really makes too much of a fuss about the small teen, though. It had taken Kokichi quite some time to snap back to reality, to even show a _hint_ of his former personality. Much of the time they spent at the hospital he had been selectively mute, unwilling to cooperate and reluctant to speak to any of them, including Shuichi. The whole “fiction” thing hit him quite hard. It had hit a lot of people quite hard. Kirumi wouldn’t leave her room for days once figuring out her position as Prime Minister of Japan, her entire motive to kill Ryoma, had been falsified. Angie had refused to eat, sleep, or drink until she had settled her massive religious crisis after figuring out she was not, in fact, a prophet for Atua. Korekiyo was, in every way, shape, and form, a mess.

Kokichi wasn’t “back to normal”. None of them would ever be. But they were getting there slowly. Besides, Kokichi had a pretty patient roommate to help him out. Shuichi often sent Tenko photos of them trying to bake but failing miserably. 

Kaito sighs, sharing a look with Maki before continuing, “It was meh. Some kids our age recognized us.”

“Oh. Are you okay?” Shuichi asks, as if he hadn’t known this.

“We’re fine,” Maki answers, already taking her seat and reading her menu, “It wasn’t awful. They were actually pretty cool about it.”

“Yeah, we signed some shirts!” Kaito beams, straight back to his optimistic demeanor, “And not to brag, but I _am_ their favorite character, soooooo….”

“Oh, herr herr,” Maki mockingly chuckles. She was really funny, telling these deadpan jokes that always take Tenko by surprise. It was something they came to discover after the simulation was over.

“Alright, now that everybody is here, Shuichi!! You said you had news, give us the news!!” Tenko diverts excitedly, patting her knees in anticipation.

The raven-haired teen simpers, his tired eyes twinkling for the briefest of moments. The class turns inwards to face him, all eager for something good to happen.

“Alright, I’ve got two things,” Shuichi starts.

“Both good? One good, one bad?” Kaito quickly asks.

“Both very good. The first is regarding K1-B0’s development.”

The group ooh and ah, leaning in excitedly. Miu had been working on the robot for quite some time now, using her prewritten talent to, as she says, “actually do some fuckin’ good for once”. She had stolen the memory card from the pod that contained K1-B0’s machine, and taken rebuilding the robot as a side job. 

The crew politely begin drum-rolling against their laps.

“She’s developed a prototype!” Shuichi announces, “Which means we can now talk to them… in two hour intervals!”

“Oh, FUCK YEAAH!!!” Kokichi shouts gruffly, mimicking a man much rougher and being way too dramatic in such a tiny restaurant. Himiko whoops as if she’s at a football game. The others clap more politely. 

The announcement didn’t necessarily concern them, as both Miu and the K1-B0 prototype were still in Japan. Those who died were under contractual obligation to remain in the Danganronpa Hospital until they were completely healed, or at least well enough to live on their own. Many of them hold injuries that will last with them for a while. Some injuries that Tenko is aware of includes Kaede’s laryngeal trauma, Kirumi’s paresis in her lower body, Ryoma’s acute respiratory distress syndrome, and other medical terms that Tenko could not pronounce. 

Quite a few of them were allowed to leave pretty quickly. Tenko knows Miu was set to live on her own, in fact the group had offered to fly her out to Canada so she could find an apartment, but the blonde had very quickly refused. Her excuse was that she wanted to stay close to K1-B0’s main computer and develop a solid prototype before she abandoned it. Tenko knew that the real reason was that she didn’t want to leave the country while her friends were still hospitalized. Apparently she had become pretty close to Kaede and Rantaro. 

Everybody eventually followed Miu’s lead. All of them move to Canada or nobody does.

“What’s next? What’s next?” Himiko pressures enthusiastically.

“Alright! Alright! Give me another drum roll.”

The group obliges, drumming their lap once more.

“I got a call from Rantaro,” Shuichi begins, grin stretched across his face, “Kirumi’s finally out.”

For note, Kirumi was the last person to be discharged. Tenko and Himiko facetime her rather frequently. She’s always sitting in bed, miserable to be doing nothing but nonetheless content with simply being given a second chance.

“No,” Tenko gasps.

The raven-haired teen nods elatedly, “Yup! All of them are out.”

The group cheers, clapping excitedly and gesturing wildly. Everybody seems to have forgotten where they were currently, talking over each other and practically ignoring the other occupants of the cafe they were in. Himiko reaches over to Tenko and starts talking about the apartment below them; Their previous neighbors had just moved into a new house, leaving the apartment unoccupied and up for grabs. They had been chatting with Angie about it, encouraging her to find a roommate and move in.

Of course, not _everybody_ was going to get along with _everybody._ Kokichi has yet to sit down and have _that_ conversation with Miu and Gonta, has barely said anything to them besides a fleeting mutter of “Sorry”. Neither Tenko nor Himiko were ready to face Korekiyo yet, even if everything about his backstory and motive were fake. Everybody else seemed relatively okay with each other, if a little awkward at first, but nonetheless amicable. 

It was real weird. It was _really_ weird waking up from her confused haze to realize that nobody had _actually_ died. She probably stared at Kaede for an hour, just making sure she wasn’t a trick of the light and would still be there once she fully came back to her senses. Exiting a simulation was an absolutely, in all senses, a wild experience for everybody. But they settled, eventually. Things were certainly not perfect, it would never be perfect for anybody, but they were settling.

A waitress glides into view, awkwardly waiting for the commotion to settle down before beginning in fluent English, “Hello, my name is Chrissy, I’ll be your server today. Are we ready to order?”

“Oh! Yes, please. We’ll start with, uh…” Kaito takes over, his English also perfect, wrapping one arm around Maki and using the other to hold up his menu. It’s clear the waitress was sent over to calm all of them down, to quickly silence them before any of the other patrons got annoyed at their noise. Getting the hint, the group simmer down into soft giggles and elated whispers. 

Lunch passes pretty quickly. Besides Shuichi’s news, nobody else had anything new to share that they hadn’t already texted or called each other about. Nightmares were forbidden topics, and so was discussing the killing game unless everybody was in the right headspace for it, so there weren't a lot of recent topics to discuss other than the AHL developments and online school. 

Maki mentions how she’s been keeping in contact with her past life’s mother. With a soft smile on her face, she recounts how kind the lady had been to her, assisting in their move from Japan to Canada if it meant her safety. Maki was perhaps the first of them to contact her previous family, the family that the flashback light had erased from her memory, simply because she wanted to meet her parents. She wouldn’t stop gushing about them, would keep contact with them until this very day. The brunette had six siblings. _Six._ The amount of “Von Trapp” jokes Kaito made was ridiculous. 

Tenko was given the phone number of her past life’s mother quite some time ago but didn’t have the guts to call. Himiko was contacted by a past family member but never replied. Later, they both agreed upon. Later. 

They had a later, a more permanent later, to look forward to now.

“I’m paying,” Shuichi says instantly, as soon as the last person finished their meal. Everybody disagrees at once, pulling out their wallets and very aggressively insisting that they would pay. They end up splitting the bill six ways.

On their way out the door, Tenko suggests taking them all to the community garden. None of them had really seen it, besides some photos that Himiko shares occasionally, so it would be a nice little walk before they departed. Tenko holds her longboard in her arm while Himiko slowly skates alongside the group, keeping pace with their walking. 

“...So that’s what I’m saying, the 67’s won’t be able to get anywhere if they still have McCallister playing as their goalie. He can’t even skate! It’s ridiculous! You understand, right?” Kaito rants.

“Uh huh,” Shuichi nods slowly, not understanding.

“I still think Hillier’s the weak link. Lee isn’t great, but he isn’t completely useless at defense like Hillier,” Maki inputs with shocking knowledge about hockey. 

Tenko and Himiko look at each other, attempting to suppress giggles. They had never been hockey fans. Tenko liked sports, and still was an incredibly active person, they just always found hockey a little funny.

“Wow, Maki. Didn’t take you to be a hockey fan!!” Tenko comments.

The girl shrugs, “I don’t know, it got entertaining after a while. Distracting.”

 _Distracting._ It was certainly what they all needed, what they were all scrambling for. Something to distract them from the silence. From dark thoughts and memories, both fake and real. And you know what? If that distraction was hockey for both Kaito and Maki, then good for them. Good for them for finding a hobby.

The conversation fades. It wasn’t awkward, the silence was comfortable, but they were all probably overthinking Maki’s last comment. As much as they put on happy-go-lucky personas and laughed and giggled, there was denying that these people were changed. Both changed in the literal sense that their entire personalities were overwritten, but also in the sense that there would never be true “peace” within them. There were too many mysteries to solve, questions that if answered would only lead to more questions. Too many memories and too much guilt that would eat away at their gut, even if they had been written to commit such acts.

They’ll never truly be fixed. 

They reach the garden in silence. The ladies that had greeted Tenko and Himiko on their ride to Carmelito had dispersed for the day, finished tending to their vegetables and leaving the garden empty. The girlfriends carefully trod through the dirt, creating a pathway for their friends and warning them of where and where not to step.

“Those ones are carnations,” Tenko points out to Kaito and Shuichi as they pass by, “Those ones mean fascination and love!!” At Kaito’s impressed hum, she quickly adds on, “I’ll let you have some if you promise to give them to Maki.”

“I might just take you up on that offer,” Kaito nods gratefully. 

“How about those ones?” Shuichi asks, gesturing at purple flowers just to the right of him.

“Clematis!” Tenko answers. Himiko stands in front of them and presents them like a gameshow host, “They mean ‘mental beauty’!”

Another round of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ from the group. The garden was quite beautiful, however dainty and small. Not even Kaito, who was trying to pull his touch guy act to save face in front of Maki, was able to resist gushing over the purple flowers. He had abandoned the color purple a while ago, so it was comforting to see him embrace it again.

Kokichi squats down next to a bush of white flowers, eyeing at them intently.

“What about these ones?” He asks, genuinely curious.

“Edelweiss,” Himiko answers, toddling around other people’s plants to reach him.

“Meaning…?”

“Strength,” Tenko says, “Strength and resilience.”

“Hardcore,” Maki quips.

Tenko shrugs, smile faltering, “I don’t know, I just thought… we might need that.”

They do. They do need it. They could feign strength now, but it was useless to hide their true feelings. It wouldn’t hide Maki bursting into fits of rage and panic every time she passes by somebody that vaguely resembles somebody she had killed, somebody the flashback light had told her she assassinated. Wouldn’t hide Kaito’s lingering paranoia every time he coughs or when his throat itches naturally, wouldn’t be able to hide his tired features or the lack of sleep he lied about not having.

It wouldn’t hide Kokichi disappearing for days on end without any contact, sending Shuichi frantic to locate him before the smaller boy did anything to hurt himself. No amount of fake smiles could hide the fact that Kokichi was in great pain, and probably will be for a long time. The smaller boy would return home days later, as giggly and mischievous as always, refusing to elaborate on where he went or what he was trying to do, almost as if he was never gone in the first place. The smaller boy was struggling, and he couldn’t hide it.

It wouldn’t erase Shuichi calling Tenko at 2 AM in the morning, his sleep schedule still completely out of line, sobbing his eyes out and confessing that he still feels this unbearable amount of guilt over something that was prewritten to happen, a final verdict that he was always supposed to make. It wouldn’t hide the amount of times he sent alarming things to the group chat and then refused to answer calls, sending the entire group into a frenzy and forcing Kaito to hire a taxi and drive to his apartment just to find him collapsed on the floor, unable to identify where or who he was, hyperventilating in complete panic. 

No matter how many walls of strength she put up, it wouldn’t hide the days Himiko spent after leaving the simulator, in pure panic and anxiety, tapping against walls and repeatedly asking Tenko if they were real, if the killing game actually happened, if anything she had done in that simulator actually _mattered to anybody at all,_ where the taller girl would always have to embrace her tightly and remind her that yes, it did really happen and yes, the apartment they were in was real but the simulation was not. Yes, Angie had died and yes, if she wanted to call her then they can call her right now. Yes, Tenko was supposed to be killed but she was right there, she was right there next to her and she would never abandon her. 

Yes, Himiko, you were important to the group. And you were more important to Tenko than you could possibly ever know.

Tenko could put on this tough act in front of the others, but it doesn’t do much to hide the bags under her eyes, to hide the nights she would wake up in a cold sweat and this terrible feeling clawing within her that somebody was trying to kill her. The amount of times she mistakenly calls her friends “degenerates” and then spends the next few minutes rethinking every little piece of conversation that led up to that moment, every line that could have been prewritten for her and every word that wasn’t hers. The hideous feeling of knowing people out there hated her, hated her more than anybody else in the world, would send her death threats and threaten both her and her girlfriend with feats so unforgivable it made her sick in the stomach. The nights she’d wake up on the floor, having glided there involuntarily in her sleep, her head to the ground and her body curled into an eerily familiar child’s pose. 

They needed strength. 

The group looked passively at each other, collecting everybody’s pensive gazes and acknowledging how somber the tone had grown. It’s grown heavy, yet still oddly comforting just standing there with each other, accepting their presence and realizing they had each other. Shuichi stares outwards at the flowers, his attention caught specifically on the white Edelweiss. 

“Do you think we’ll ever be okay again?” He asks.

It’s a loaded question that Tenko wasn’t ready to answer. Nobody had walked to lunch expecting it to get this heavy; Usually they ate lunch, did something else together light-heartedly, and then split ways until next time. While it was quite the convoluted question, deep down Tenko already knew the answer. 

Probably not. Tenko would go as far to say that things won’t ever return to normal for them. But they can grow to be happy. They can grow to overcome it.

It really is the tiny things that keep her going. Tenko keeps finding tiny things in her life that keep her going, tiny, authentic moments in her life that she wants desperately to see again. Like Himiko’s smile, or the community garden, or the bi-monthly lunch meetings with her friends. Or K1-B0’s development, or finally being able to see everybody as they return from the Danganronpa Hospital. There are moments she can look forward to, however tiny and mundane, moments that she wants to experience. Moments that make the bad days seem just a little better. Moments that remind her that she doesn’t always have to be _okay,_ just continuing.

“I think we can get better,” Tenko answers honestly, “We can grow to be _better._ We’ve been given the chance to move on and… well…”

“Be real,” Himiko finishes, “We’ve been given the chance to be real. And we’re going to have bad days, and we’re probably gonna be messes for a bit, but…”

She notices how everybody was now averting their entire attention towards the white flowers. Strength. Resilience. Traits that every single one of them had, however hidden and broken.

“Isn’t that the whole point?” She whispers.

They nod solemnly, the idea bouncing through their minds and swaying softly in the cool breeze. The breeze they had fought to experience again. At least they had the outside. At least they had the flowers and the wind, Carmelito and their homes, longboards and the warm sun above them.

At least they had each other. They could do it.

The real lesson, Tenko reckons, is that moving forward is the only thing they could do. Take each day as they come, no matter how difficult it was, and move forward. They have been given the chance to cry, to express true emotion, to laugh and wail and scream and shout. To hate and be hated, to love and be loved. 

Himiko had been right. Her speech still stuck with Tenko, to this day. _The emotions we have, right now, are real._ She believes that sentiment wholeheartedly, knows that every tear that falls down her face was from a place of authenticity. Knew that every smile she caught from Maki was authentic, knew every genuine, giddy laugh from Kokichi was sincere. She knew that every burst of anger from Kaito was wholehearted, that every look of terror from Shuichi was true and unfeigned. Those emotions were all they had. 

They were going to be wild and unmanageable. They were going to get emotional and upset, and angry and happy beyond words. But the chance they had been given was to run with these emotions and grow. Grow past the pain, grow to bear the sleepless nights and endless nightmares.

Tenko doesn’t believe in happy endings. She’ll always be a little bit sad, will always be a little angry and bitter. It might take quite some time for her to heal. But she gets to grow. She gets to live. She gets to wake up next to Himiko, make breakfast in the morning, and longboard to the local coffee shop for an extra pastry. She gets to make new friends that share her same enthusiasm for being active, gets to go to school and learn and experience. She gets to paint and draw and write and create. And call her friends in the morning because she had an awful night previously, and meet them for lunch just to chat about nothing at all. And send these terrible, terrible memes to the group chat because she thinks they’ll make people laugh. And make funny videos with Himiko until they’re both on the floor, clutching onto their stomachs because they were laughing too hard at themselves.

She gets to cry and sob over the little things. And shout and break things and get angry, and punch pillows and grow red in the face. She gets to laugh and love and kiss and cheer, and hold Himiko and love her to the end of the world.

She gets to breathe air. She gets to smile. She gets to live. And she gets to grow. And grow, and grow, and grow. 

Because isn’t that the whole point?

Himiko reaches over and holds her hand. Her smile is bittersweet and warm. One that is aware of the future that awaits them and faces it head on anyways. One that is ready to experience life at its fullest, to live and laugh with her friends. 

Because their story never really ends. Even when the words come to a stop, even when the author has finished her writing. The story never really ends.

Tenko looks up. All that is above her is sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before i start rambling about the ending i need you to STOP what you're doing and check out this AMAZING artwork of the cast's casual clothing for me bc im love them so much............
> 
> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11PzglXx41g14wByvtEr65aKRfpplnTSl?usp=sharing
> 
> anyways! im crying
> 
> writing this story has honestly been such a wonderful, wonderful experience, and it seriously all comes down to you guys. the comments you have written me have been so incredibly lovely, and i find myself going through them whenever i feel a little down just because they always make me feel better lol. not a single one of your kudos or comments have gone by unappreciated, and i sincerely thank all of you for sticking with me this long. thank you so so much for reading this story <3333333
> 
> if you have the time, please take this poll here regarding my next story!
> 
> https://forms.gle/FDH3vLiRD5qmc5Hb8
> 
> if you'd like to contact me, my tumblr is @okthatsgreat and my discord is weewooweewoo#5014 !! 
> 
> thank you once again for everything. have an amazing day :D!!!!
> 
> edit: I GAVE OUT THE WRONG TUMBLR............im what the kids call, an idiot
> 
> edit 2: first chapter of the next story is out ;)


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